Don't Take My Angel Away from Me
by TheHornyVirgin
Summary: Finally allowed some time off, James and Carlos go camping. But a romantic camping trip quickly turns into a fight for their lives when they are abducted by two on-the-run serial killers... PLEASE R&R! Slash and LOTS of angst!
1. Time Off

Okay. I've been planning this story for a couple weeks now and finally, I'm posting it. I promise to do my best throughout the story and I REALLY hope you enjoy it! :D **Please R&R! NO FLAMES! **

**Chapter 1: Time Off**

It had been a year since the four boys of Big Time Rush had come to LA to fulfill their dream of becoming a famous band. And they had succeeded. After a year of adventures and trials, happy times and sad times, laughter and tears, they had finally fulfilled their dream. They had completed their first album, performed their first concert, and gone on their first tour. Their album had sold millions of copies and they were happier than ever. While the fame and fans were part of why they were so happy, the main part was traveling this journey together and supporting one another through everything. Kendall and Jo, and Logan and Camille were all going steady and very much in love.

James and Carlos had also found love...in each other. They had admitted their feelings for each other shortly before leaving Minnesota and had been together ever since. The were so much in love and they couldn't be happier. There were many days when Kendall and Logan secretly watched them cuddling and smiling on the couch and they commented many times that James and Carlos were the most beautiful couple they'd ever seen. The smiles on their faces when they were together told everyone around them that they were deeply in love. But what people saw on the outside was just a fraction of the story. Only James and Carlos understood just how deeply the roots of their love went. They shared a connection in heart and mind and soul. They cared deeply about how the other felt and what they thought and said and they respected each other and trusted one another completely. And they shared a very passionate sex-life. Their first time had been about a week after they admitted their feelings for each other when Carlos was spending the weekend at James' house(as they frequently did to just hang out and spend guy-time together). Before that night, they had both been virgins. While their first time had been wonderful and passionate, it was also painful and clumsy to start with. James had almost been brought to tears because he had caused Carlos so much pain. But Carlos reassured him that he was okay and they proceeded to make very passionate love. Ever since then, they had become inseparable. Being apart was like torture to them.

And when they arrived in LA and moved into their apartment, they jumped at the chance to share a room. Their apartment had only four bedrooms for six people and the boys had to share rooms because, as Mrs. Knigh had said, Katie was a growing girl and she needed her own room and her 'privacy'. But, sharing rooms was no problem for the guys and they were very comfortable, as the rooms were rather large. When James and Carlos picked their room, they had only one little problem: there were two twin beds. But this predicament was quickly solved when James had the brilliant idea of pushing the beds together to form one large one. This worked perfectly for them and finally, they could sleep together as a couple. They had shared some of their most passionate moments in that bed. And 'passionate' doesn't necessarily mean 'sex'. They cuddled, they kissed, they talked, they dreamed, they just shared life. They were happier than they ever thought they could be.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Finally, after over a month-an-a-half of relentless recording sessions and numerous dance classes, Gustavo(upon constant nagging from Kelly) gave the guys some time off to relax. He'd agreed to give them three weeks off, which they greatly appreciated. Kendall and Logan could finally spend some much-needed quality time with Jo and Camille, and James and Carlos had some quality time of their own planned. While hanging out in the Palm Woods lobby one day, James came across a brochure someone had left there, describing a local state park called Lake Pleasant. In the brochure were several pictures of the very beautiful scenery and plantlife of the park. It seemed like a very nice, romantic place to get away to. He showed the brochure to Carlos and he was instantly excited at the idea of having a romantic get-away with his boyfriend. It was decided; they would go to Lake Pleasant. That same day, James called and asked about the details of renting a campsite. The price was very reasonable; twelve dollars per night. They planned to stay for a week.

In their room, James and Carlos were busy packing for their week-long camping trip. They'd gotten two of those big, waterproof backpacks that professional hikers use to store their things in. The first thing Carlos packed was his trusty helmet, of course. They also packed several changes of clothes, their swim trunks, their sleeping bags, several blankets, two flashlights, and their pillows.

"You excited about our camping trip?" James asked, stuffing his favorite pair of jeans in his backpack.

"So excited." Carlos said, "I can't wait to leave tomorrow!"

"I know this trip is going to be so romantic." James said.

James had more intentions of just spending a romantic week alone with his boyfriend; he planned to propose to him. He'd been contemplating this for several weeks and he knew deep down that Carlos was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He'd secretly gone to a small place in the local mall that makes custom simple jewelry and had a very special beaded bracelet made. The bracelet was adorned by many, tiny colorful beads woven together with a thin, black cord. Down the middle of the bracelet were several yellow beads that spelled out 'Marry Me'. Ever since having the bracelet made, he'd been carrying it around with him, waiting for the perfect moment to ask Carlos the question constantly bouncing around inside his head. He knew this camping trip was the perfect time to do it.

"I just know I'm forgetting something." James said, going over the mental list he had in his head.

"Don't forget this." Carlos said, tossing a little white bottle across the bed to him.

James picked it up and saw that it was lube.

"Can't forget this, can we?" he said, placing it in the side pocket of his backpack.

"Nope." Carlos said.

"Did you pack your inhaler?" James asked.

"Yes." Carlos said.

Ever since he was six years old, Carlos had had asthma. It wasn't very severe, though. He only had occasional attacks after lots of physical exertion or when he was around lots of dust or pollen. He hadn't had to use his inhaler for over two months, but he always carried it with him in case of an emergency.

"I think we have everything, except for packing the cooler in the morning." Carlos said, zipping his backpack closed and setting it in the floor beside the bed.

When he stood, he backed into something solid. He relaxed when he found that it was only James. James wrapped his arms around Carlos' waist from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder.

"I love you so much." he whispered.

Carlos smiled and reached up to place his hands on James', interlacing their fingers. He loved it when James held him like this. He felt so safe, so loved. The whole world seem to just melt away, leaving only he and James alone in their perfect world. A smile spread across Carlos' face and his eyes fluttered shut when he felt James lightly nibble on his neck.

"You're so beautiful." James breathed into his neck.

Carlos gasped softly and his hold on James' hands tightened slightly.

"You like that?" James whispered, flicking the tip of his tongue up and down Carlos' neck.

"Yes." Carlos breathed.

"Then you'll love this." James whispered before turning Carlos and around and crushing their lips together.

Carlos moaned and reached up to wrap his arms around James' neck. Their tongues clashed and James moaned, running his hands underneath Carlos' t-shirt. He knew Carlos loved this. And, indeed he did. The feeling of James' warm hands gently sliding all along his back, made goosebumps crawl across Carlos' skin. He would have loved to take this further, but they were suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come it." James said, smoothing his slightly disheveled hair.

The door opened and Logan stepped in, holding a blue-and-white box.

"You guys finished playing tongue-hockey?" he asked.

"Actually, we weren't." James said, "Did you want something?"

"I wanted to give you guys this." Logan said, holding out the blue-and-white box.

It was a First Aid kit.

"We don't need that." Carlos said, "What's the worst that could happen?"

"You never know when something might happen. Please, take it." Logan insisted.

"Fine." James said, taking the box.

That was the smarted move James could have ever made. He would soon learn just how valuable that First Aid kit could be. And they would learn the meaning of Carlos' phrase 'What's the worst that could happen?'

**A/N: **I know, it's a short first chappy, but this is more like the introduction. :) I promise the next one will be longer. :D **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	2. Camping Trip

Sorry for the short chappy, but I promise this one will be longer! **PLEASE R&R!**

**Chapter 2: Camping Trip**

James woke up early the next morning; 5:30, to be exact. That was an extreme rarity for him to be up that early in the morning, but today was special. Today, he and Carlos were going to leave to begin their romantic week-long camping trip to Lake Pleasant.

James rolled over in bed and was met by his favorite early-morning sight: Carlos in a blissful slumber. He smiled and just gazed at him for a minute. God, he was so beautiful! James could feel their warmth underneath the thick comforter and it was so incredibly cozy. James was loathe to wake him, but he knew he had to if they were going to get an early start like they planned; the campground was a good fifty miles away. He would give him a few minutes more while he got ready. James turned over and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, sitting up. He groaned as he stretched his tense muscles. He then stood, wearing only a pair of black boxerbriefs. He walked over to the dresser by the door where he had his clothes laid out for the day. They'd both taken a shower the night before so they wouldn't have to get up and take one this morning. James shivered as he slipped into his jeans. It had gotten cold during the night and someone had forgotten to turn on the heat during the night. He then put on his favorite graphic t-shirt, which had an 'LA Ink' motif printed on the front. He walked over to Carlos' side of the bed and placed a hand to his shoulder.

"Carlos." he whispered, shaking him gently, "Carlos, baby, it's time to get up. We've gotta pack the cooler and get going."

Carlos moaned and pulled the covers over his head. James couldn't help but smile at this; Carlos always was a hard one to wake up.

"Come on, baby. You have to get up. I promise you can sleep all you want on the way to the campground." James said.

Carlos whined and pulled the covers down. He got up sleepily and stretched. He sleepily walked over to the dresser where his clothes, which consisted of a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and an orange-and-brown hoodie.

"How's about a good-morning kiss?" James asked, walking over to him.

"That's just what I need." Carlos said, barely able to keep his eyes open.

James smiled and pressed their lips together. Carlos immediately felt James' warmth spread to his body, awakening him slightly.

"Better?" James asked.

"Much." Carlos said, "Let's go pack the cooler."

They shared a heartfelt hug before exiting their room and walking down the hall to the kitchen where their blue cooler was. First, they got the two bags of ice out of the freezer and dumped them into the bottom of the cooler. They then got the various food items they'd bought just for their camping trip out of the fridge. They'd gotten the makings for sandwiches, granola bars, and bottled water. They packed everything snugly into the ice and closed the lid. While James checked everything off the list they'd laid on the counter, Carlos went to their room to get their backpacks.

"Have we got everything?" he asked when he returned, lugging their two heavy backpacks.

"I think so." James said, walking over to him.

Panting, Carlos dropped the two backpacks to the floor.

"Come here." James said, taking Carlos' hand.

He grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss and lifted him up, his arms wrapped around his waist. Carlos giggled and kissed back.

"You excited?" James asked.

"Oh, you know I am." Carlos said, smiling from ear-to-ear, "This is going to be so fun."

James giggled and kissed him again.

"Let's get going." he said.

He set Carlos down and picked up his own backpack, slinging it over his shoulders. Carlos did the same and they carried the cooler between them out the door to the elevator. When they reached the lobby, they crossed it and walked out to the parking lot to the red SUV they'd rented for the week. After loading their cooler and backpacks into the back, they got in and exited the parking lot. Once they were on the road(James driving), Carlos took out his MP3 and put his ear-buds in and turned on one of his favorite songs: 'Whatdaya Want from Me' by Adam Lambert. Of course, he fell asleep about half way through the song. James couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Carlos sound asleep with his ear-buds in. He sneaked a picture of him while they were stopped at a red light. Of course, he didn't try to wake him; he promised he would let him sleep on the way.

The drive to the park was rather pleasant and very quiet. Carlos slept the whole way and James sang quietly to himself. It took them about an hour to reach the park. The entrance to the park was a high, metal gate with a equally-high fence going out from it. The dark-paved road changed into a white-and-grey gravel road. James pulled the car onto the gravel road and immediately heard the gravels crunching underneath the tires. The road was also more bumpy than normal. The bumpiness must have stirred Carlos because he jumped and opened his eyes drowsily.

"Are we there yet?" he mumbled.

"Yup." James said.

They drove about a fourth of a mile down the grave road until they came to a small building: the park rangers' office. As James pulled up to the office, a kind-looking park ranger stepped out.

"Good morning." he said, "Day use or camping?"

"Camping." James answered.

The ranger handed him an orange envelope. James filled out the information on the back of the envelope and placed the money for the camping fee inside and sealed it, handing it back to the park ranger.

"Thank you and have a wonderful stay." the ranger said.

"I'm sure we will." James said, letting his window back up.

They drove a short distance down the road to a partially-full parking lot, where they parked in one of the empty spaces. Once parked, they got out of the car and got their backpacks and the cooler out of the back and locked the doors. They swung their backpacks over their shoulders and carried the cooler between them. They crossed the parking lot and walked down the trail. They were surrounded by dense foliage and towering trees. It was a very beautiful sight, very refreshing from the constant city-scene in LA. The air was crisp and slightly cool and just refreshing. They hiked about a mile into the woods until they came to a very nice spot beside the the actual lake. Lake Pleasant.

This was just a very nice campground. From the parking lot, you had to hike at least a mile to get to the nearest campsite. And you were almost always garanteed not to find a camping are within two-hundred yards of another camper. There were campsites to satisfy the scenery preferences of almost any nature-lover. There was a large lake, hundreds of acres of forest, a waterfall, a small mountain, a gorge, and even a cave or two.

They arrived at the lake and set their heavy cooler on the rocky shore, relieved to finally set it down. Their backpacks soon followed and they gazed upon their beautiful scenery.

"Whatdaya think?" James asked, wrapping an arm around Carlos' shoulders.

"I love it." Carlos said.

"Good." James smiled, "Let's get our tent set up."

It took over an hour(with James refusing to read the instructions) to set up their orange tent. But, they managed and Carlos rolled out their sleeping bags and fixed the blankets and pillows to make a cozy place to sleep. After everything was set up, they finally had breakfast, which consisted of a sandwich and some chips.

"After we finish eating, you wanna go swimming?" Carlos asked around a bite of sandwich.

"Sure." James said, sticking a BBQ-flavored chip in his mouth.

"Great sandwich, by the way." Carlos said; James had fixed both their sandwiches.

"Thanks. I know you like chicken on yours." James said.

"I do." Carlos said, swallowing the last bite of his sandwich, "I'm gonna put my swim trunks on."

He stood and stepped into the tent and rummaged through his backpack until he found his blue-white-and-green swim trunks. James paused from eating his sandwich and watched as Carlos disrobed himself. First, his shirt came off, then his jeans, then his boxerbriefs. James gulped when he saw Carlos naked, his back facing him. James couldn't tear his eyes away from the delicious sight of Carlos standing naked in the tent. His caramel skin looked so soft and kissable, his slightly-pronounced muscles rippling just underneath. He felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw Carlos bend over to put on his swim trunks. Carlos turned around and saw James watching him.

"Like what you see?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"Oh, yeah." James said, finding his voice.

Carlos smiled and stepped out of the tent.

"Are you just gonna sit there or are you going to get your trunks on?" Carlos asked.

"I-I-um..." James stuttered.

Carlos just laughed and walked over to the water. He tested it out by sticking his toe in first, then walked in up to his mid-torso.

"Come on in! The water's great!" Carlos called back to James, who was just getting his swim trunks on.

James ran over into the water and dove under when he was out deep enough. Carlos treaded water and looked around, waiting for James to come to the surface. But he didn't. After a few seconds, Carlos was getting worried.

"James?" he called, looking around, "James!"

His calls were interrupted when he was suddenly lifted out of the water and thrown backwards, landing with a big splash. He clawed his way to the surface and came up gasping. His eyes darted around and he saw James floating a few feet away, laughing.

"Gotcha!" he said through his laughter.

Carlos wiped the water from his eyes and blew James a raspberry, only fueling his laughter more.

"You scared me." Carlos said, swimming over to him, looking pitiful.

"What do you mean?" James asked, noticing Carlos' pitiful face.

"You weren't coming up and it scared me." Carlos said.

"I'm sorry, baby." James said, reaching out and stroking Carlos' wet hair.

"Kiss me and it'll be better." Carlos said, trying to maintain his pitiful face.

James smiled and pressed a soft kiss to Carlos' pink lips.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yeah." Carlos smiled, "Guess what?"

"What?" James asked.

"I have a secret."

"What?"

SPLASH!

James was suddenly blinded by sudden big splash to his face. His hands flew to his eyes to wipe away the foreign water. When he could see again, he saw Carlos swimming away, laughing.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that!" James called, swimming after him.

They romped and played in the water for several more minutes, just laughing and having fun. But the fun suddenly changed when James unexpectedly dunked Carlos under the water. It caught Carlos completely off-guard and he wasn't able to hold his breath before being pushed under the water. His breath was stolen away and he started to panic. He knew what happened when he panicked. He desperately clawed his way to the surface, gasping and coughing. Noticing this, James' laughter was silenced.

"Carlos?" he asked in concern.

Carlos coughed and felt very short of breath.

"Carlos, are you okay?" James asked.

Carlos was unable to answer; he felt his throat tightening and he was unable to breathe. He was having an asthma attack. By now, James knew something was wrong. He swam closer to Carlos and held him so he wouldn't sink.

"Is it your asthma?" he asked.

Carlos nodded rapidly, gasping and wheezing. He had a look of panic and fear on his face as he fought for precious air.

"It-it's okay. Try to stay calm." James said, trying not to panic himself, "Just breathe."

"C-can't." Carlos managed to whisper.

Acting fast, James helped him swim to shore, which was not an easy task, as they were at least thirty feet away from shore and Carlos was starting to panic. His eyes were wide and he had his hands to his throat as if trying to will the breath into him. James finally managed to get them to shore after about two minutes. By now, Carlos' lips were turning blue and his face was pale. He stumbled into the tent, falling to his knees. He was mere inches from his backpack where his inhaler was, but every once of strength he had left was gone. Luckily, James was there in a split second and he grabbed the inhaler from the pocket on the front of the backpack and held it in front of Carlos' face. Carlos grabbed at it and took a big lungful of the medication. It felt as if an icy chill filled his lungs and it opened up his airway. Relief flooded through him and he gasped desperately for air. James crawled around behind him and wrapped his arms around him, gently holding him.

"It's okay. It's okay, just breathe. Breathe." James whispered.

Carlos collapsed back against James' chest, his energy spent.

"Easy. Just take it easy." James whispered into his ear.

Carlos gulped as he gasped for air, feeling a little light-headed. He grimaced in pain; having an asthma attack always hurt. He was so glad he had James here with him; there were several times when he had to suffer through his asthma attacks by himself. It was so comforting to have someone like James there with him. It took several minutes, but Carlos eventually regain his much-needed breath and the light-headed feeling passed, leaving him feeling tired.

"You okay now?" James asked softly, noticing Carlos was breathing easier.

"I-I think so." Carlos breathed, sitting up.

"You need something to drink?" James asked, gently stroking Carlos' back.

Carlos nodded; his throat was really sore and scratchy. James stood and walked over to their cooler, which was setting just outside the tent door. He opened it and retrieved a fresh bottle of water and handed it to Carlos.

"Thank you." Carlos said, his voice a little weak.

"I'm so sorry, baby." James said, looking at Carlos with sympathetic eyes.

"Sorry for what?" Carlos asked, swallowing a large gulp of water.

"For dunking you under the water. If I hadn't done that, you wouldn't have had an attack." James explained, "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Carlos said.

"I feel like it is." James said.

"Well, it's not. I don't blame you." Carlos said.

"Will you forgive me?" James asked, giving him a slightly 'puppy-dog look'.

"Of course, but there's nothing to forgive. It wasn't your fault." Carlos said.

James smiled tenderly at him and reached out and held his hand.

"I love you." he whispered.

* * *

It was late that night. The air was cool and smelled fresh and clean. The water on the lake was motionless and looked like a flat slate of crystal. James and Carlos had been enjoying this scenery for the past hour-and-a-half; they'd even seen a little raccoon scurry down to the water's edge, catch a fish, and scurry back into the woods. They were seated on a log beside their campfire, which blazed away warmly in front of them. Carlos was nestled close into James' side, resting his head on James' shoulder. James had his arm wrapped about Carlos' back, holding him in his warmth. They were both wearing their favorite double-layer hoodie; James' was black, Carlos' was brown-and-orange.

"This is so romantic." Carlos said, glancing up at the twinkling stars in the night sky above them.

"It sure is." James said, "There's no one else I would rather want to be here with than you."

"Same here." Carlos said.

James reached down beside him and picked up a stick and used it to poke at their campfire. Once he was finished, he returned his hand to Carlos' lap, where he re-interlaced their fingers. They sat there for several more minutes until Carlos spoke up again.

"Hey, James, didn't we bring some marshmallows?" he asked.

"I think so." James said, standing and walking over to their cooler.

He opened it and rummaged through its contents until he found an unopened bag of the jumbo-sized marshmallows.

"Wanna toast some?" he asked, smiling and holding up the bag.

"Sure." Carlos said, "I'll go get some sticks."

Carlos stood and walked over to the treeline and found two straight-enough sticks and stripped them of their bark so thy wouldn't have flecks of nature in their marshmallows. He walked back over to James, who had already opened the bag of marshmallows and was eating one 'raw'(not toasted). Carlos sat back down beside his boyfriend and handed him one of the sticks.

"Thanks." James said around a bite of marshmallow.

Carlos giggled and took a marshmallow out of the bag and stuck it onto the end of his stick and held it over the fire. James did the same and held his marshmallow next to Carlos'.

"I'm so glad we decided to come out here." James said, "Every moment I spend with you is so perfect."

A smile spread across Carlos' face and he cast his eyes downward. He always got goosebumps whenever James said these sweet things to him. He clung to each word and tucked them away safely in his soul so he could pull them out like a favorite photo and remember them whenever he was sad. He rested his head on James' shoulder again and slowly rotated the stick he was holding so one side of his marshmallow wouldn't burn. A couple minutes later, James' marshmallow was toasted to his liking. He was about to take a bite of it when...

"Damn it!" Carlos cursed.

"What?" James asked, almost laughing.

"My marshmallow fell off my stick!" Carlos said, pouting adorably.

James looked into the fire and saw Carlos' marshmallow smouldering away on one of the small logs. He couldn't help but giggle.

"Here, have mine; I'l fix me another one." he said, offering his stick to Carlos.

"You sure? I mean, you always toast yours just the way _you _like them." Carlos said.

"It's fine; I can toast me another one." James insisted.

"Thanks." Carlos said, taking the stick.

He stuck the perfectly-toasted marshmallow in his mouth and pulled it off the stick.

"How is it?" James asked.

"Perfect." Carlos said around a mouthful of gooey marshmallow.

James smiled and proceeded to toast himself another marshmallow. Once it was toasted, he ate it right off the stick. He and Carlos both enjoyed two more marshmallows apiece before James glanced over and noticed a little bit of sticky, white marshmallow smeared on Carlos' chin. He couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"What are you staring at?" Carlos asked after a few seconds.

"You've got marshmallow on your face." James replied.

Carlos reached up and was about to wipe it away, but James stopped him.

"Wait. I'll get it." he said.

He placed his stick on the ground and scooted closer to Carlos and draped an arm about his shoulders. He leaned in slowly and paused mere centimeters from Carlos' face. Carlos felt James' warm breath tickle his cold face and he shivered pleasurably. Taking this as a signal to go further, James closed the gap between them and sealed his lips over the smear of marshmallow. He gently sucked on Carlos' warm skin and flicked his tongue at the sugary treat stuck there. He licked it away and pulled back a little, looking Carlos in the eyes. He was smiling. He always loved Carlos' smile.

"I think I have a little here." Carlos teased, pointing at his lips.

James smiled and leaned in again, only this time, he sealed his lips over Carlos' own. The instant their lips connected, Carlos' eyes fluttered shut and a soft sigh slid from his lips. James was an expert when it came to kissing. If he did it right, he could have Carlos all hot and flustered within a minute, just begging for him to take him.

Carlos felt James' tongue teasing at his lips, begging for access. He gladly parted his lips and let James slide his tongue in, swirling it around inside his mouth. This caused a soft moan to sound from Carlos' throat as he, too, teased his tongue at James'. Sometime during their heated kiss, James' hand found its way to gently cradle the side of Carlos' face. James' delicate touch send a slight shiver down Carlos' spine. They were loathe to pull away, but their lungs were crying out for air and they couldn't ignore it. They pulled away, their faces just mere inches from each other. Carlos rested his forehead against James' and gasped softly.

"You're such an amazing kisser." Carlos gasped.

"So are you." James gasped in return.

They sat like this for several more seconds, regaining their breath.

"You know...it's...kinda cold out here." James said, sounding as if he were suggesting something.

"You wanna...go lay down?" Carlos asked.

"My thoughts exactly." James said, standing.

He held his hand out to Carlos, who was still sitting, looking up at him.

"May I?" James asked, offering his hand to Carlos.

Carlos smiled and took James' hand, standing. James, being a gentleman, let Carlos go ahead of him into their cozy tent. They both knelt down, as the 'ceiling' of the tent wasn't hardy high enough for them to stand up straight. Carlos sat down and took off his shoes and socks as James zipped the door to the tent shut.

"What about the fire?" Carlos asked, noticing James hadn't put out their campfire.

"It'll be fine; we're, like, five feet away." James said, also sitting down and taking off his shoes.

They piled their shoes and socks in the corner and slid themselves into the two-person sleeping bag they'd gotten just for their trip(and future ones). The sleeping bag had some kind of thermal lining or something that kept it nice an warm and so cozy all the time. They lay down inside the sleeping bag and huddled together, wrapping their arms about each other.

"I just love to cuddle with you." Carlos said, resting his head against James' chest.

"Yeah. It is nice, isn't it?" James said, lightly stroking Carlos' hair.

For several minutes, they just lay there, cuddled against one another. They lay on their sides, facing each other and they held each other in their arms. Their legs lay in a jumbled 'pile' underneath the sleeping bag. They lay there long enough, James was about to fall asleep when, out of nowhere, Carlos said, "Look under your pillow."

"What?" James asked, coming fully awake.

"Look under your pillow." Carlos repeated.

Intrigued, James lifted himself up so he was propped on his elbow. He reached underneath his pillow, feeling around for anything unusual. His hand came into contact with something solid and cylindrical in shape. He grasped it and pulled his hand out from under his pillow. In his hand, he saw the small bottle of lube he'd given to Carlos before they left. He looked up and saw Carlos grinning sneakily.

"Care to explain?" James asked.

"I can explain in three little words: let's use it." Carlos said.

James raised his eyebrows; he always liked it when Carlos initiated the action. Carlos crawled over and pressed a soft kiss to James' lips, moving over to straddle his waist in the process. James found this to be very arousing and he kissed back with passion. He reached up and wrapped his arms around Carlos' body, holding him gently. Carlos moaned, knowing that hearing it always turned James on. James slipped his hands underneath Carlos' t-shirt and hoodie, running them all along his warm back.

"Take it off." Carlos moaned into the kiss.

Responding, James pulled the t-shirt and hoodie higher until he pulled it over Carlos' head and tossed it to the side. Carlos leaned up, exposing his bare torso to James. Seeing Carlos half-naked and so beautiful above him sent a shiver down James' spine right to his groin.

"Put your hands on me." Carlos whispered, taking James' hands and placing them to either side of his hips.

Chewing his bottom lip, James slowly slid his hands over Carlos' slightly-toned abdomen and over his chest. His skin felt like warm silk beneath his hands. It was such a turn-on. A pleasured sigh slipped from Carlos' lips and he tilted his head back. He felt James' hands slowly travel back down over his torso, but this time, he brought them around to touch his full, rounded hips. A soft cry escaped Carlos' lips when James gripped his hips gently but firmly. He thrust back into his touch, and, in doing so, succeeded in pressing firmly against James' groin.

"Oh, Carlos!" James moaned, thrusting up against him.

"Excited?" Carlos asked, feeling James becoming hard beneath him.

"You always make me excited." James moaned.

"Whatdaya say we...get these clothes off?" Carlos asked, sliding his hands over the soft fabric of James' black hoodie.

James nodded, "Why don't you do it for me?"

"Sit up." Carlos said, scooting back a little.

Regaining his composure, James sat up, Carlos still straddling his legs. Carlos reached up and slowly unzipped James' hoodie. Once it was open, he slid his hands alluringly over the brown-haired boy's chest and up to his shoulders, pushing the hoodie off them so it fell to the floor. James removed his arms from the sleeves of the hoodie and tossed it to the side. Carlos waisted no time in pulling James' green t-shirt over his head and pulling him into a heated kiss. Their lips moved together and their tongues clashed, fighting for dominance. Pleasured moans and sighs spilled from their lips, filling the tent with sounds of passion. Their kisses became more and more frantic as they were(rather quickly)becoming more and more aroused. Carlos pulled away from the kiss, gasping, his lips kiss-swollen and pink.

"Lay back." he gasped, his arousal straining uncomfortably against his jeans.

James didn't hesitate and he did as he was told. He watched as Carlos moved off him and stood, hunched over from the low ceiling of the tent. His hands trembling with excitement and need, Carlos removed his jeans and boxerbriefs, kicking them to the side. James' breath caught in his throat when he saw his lover's naked, aroused form standing right in front of him.

"Like what you see?" Carlos asked.

James nodded and felt his member throb in his constricting jeans.

"Take yours off, too." Carlos said.

James waisted no time in removing his jeans. He felt a slight sense of relief flood over him now that his member was free, but his 'tension' would only be relieved by one thing. He felt himself throb with need and he longed to be inside Carlos. Only ever Carlos. Carlos knelt down at James' feet and looked him seductively in the eyes.

"I'm yours." he said.

Carlos had been in charge in the foreplay part and now, he wanted James to be the dominant one. He loved the way James had become so skilled in making him writhe in ecstasy, ready to push him over the edge with the simplest of touches. James knew all his sensitive spots and knew just how to use them to his advantage.

"Come here." James said, "Straddle me."

Carlos smiled seductively and crawled up to straddle James' waist. When he came to rest, they both gasped loudly as their members touched. James' hands gripped at Carlos' thighs as he breathed deeply to steady himself.

"What do you want me to do?" Carlos gasped out.

"Mmm. Turn around so I can prepare you." James said.

Carlos did as he was told and turned so his back was facing James, but still straddling him. He heard James open the bottle of lube and squirt some on his fingers.

"You ready?" James asked, setting the bottle aside.

"Yeah." Carlos breathed, greatly anticipating it.

James placed one hand to the side of Carlos' hip to hold him steady because he knew Carlos could get a little squirmy when he was being prepared. Using the other hand, James gently reached underneath him and lightly fingered his opening. Carlos gasped softly at the contact and he felt himself throb again. He let out another harsher gasp when he felt James push two fingers inside him. He thrust himself back against the fingers, bringing them deeper inside him.

"Mmm, you like that?" James moaned, moving his fingers in and out.

"Oh, yes!" Carlos gasped, "Please, harder!"

But instead of doing it harder, James added another finger, making that three he had inside Carlos. A loud moan erupted from Carlos' throat and he thrust back again. James did a scissoring motion with his fingers, causing Carlos to cry out when his sweet spot was hit. James smiled and repeated this several more times until he thought Carlos was ready. Carlos let out a whimper of loss when he felt James pull his finger out, but he also was excited because he knew what was coming...

"Turn around." James ordered.

Carlos didn't need to be told twice. He was turned around in a split-second, facing his lover.

"H-here." James gasped, handing Carlos the lube.

He took it and got some on his fingers and tossed the bottle aside. Reaching down, he gripped James' hard member and stroked him slowly, coating him thoroughly with the lube. James moaned and bit his bottom lip. Carlos' touch was like magic to him. Carlos felt James' member throb in his hand and he knew he was ready. He lifted his hips up, positioning the tip of James' erection at his opening, guiding it to where he could impale himself easily on it. He let himself slowly sink down, feeling the head push past the tight rings of muscle. He relaxed as much as possible and moaned as James' member slowly pushed deeper inside him. He just loved the feeling of being filled with James' well-endowed member. James was just the right size for him: almost six inches and he was thick; they fit together perfectly. Carlos moaned loudly as he settled against James' hips, his member pushed as deeply as possible. James gripped his firm thighs and held him in place while they adjusted to the intensity of their joining. Carlos' muscles relaxed around James, encompassing him like a warm, soothing liquid.

"Oh, Carlos, you're so tight." James moaned, shifting slightly beneath him.

"Not a problem, I hope." Carlos said.

"Oh, of course not." James said, "It feels so good. You ready?"

Carlos nodded. He raised his hips, feeling the width of James as he moved. He raised up so that only the head of James' member was inside him. Then, he thrust back down. Hard. Both of them moaned loudly and almost lost their composure as a jolt of pleasure shocked their bodies. Once Carlos regained his composure, he continued to thrust his hips, rocking back and forth. He threw his head back in ecstasy as James moved in and out of him in the most perfect way. They had made love countless times and they knew just how to satisfy one another and they knew each other's weak spots.

James gripped Carlos' hips and thrust upward, filling him, Carlos groaning and starting to move faster. It was almost magical as they moaned and writhed against one another, lost in their passion. James gripped Carlos' hips and pulled him down harder onto him, pushing in as deep as possible. Carlos whimpered as he felt James' throbbing member push deeper inside him.

"Oh, Carlos...h-harder...faster." James gasped, arching his back.

Carlos gladly responded and he rode James hard. They had made love this way before, but James was used to being the dominant one and this was absolute delicious torture to him for Carlos to be in control. The smell of the orange essence from the lube was intoxicating and he concentrated on listening to Carlos' moans and sighs of ecstasy as he rode him. He loved to hear those sounds of passion coming from Carlos, the sounds that he was causing. The feeling of Carlos' tight warmth surrounding him, moving and tightening drove him insane. It was almost more than he could stand.

"Oh, Carlos, you're so good...so tight...so beautiful." James managed to gasped out.

Hearing this, Carlos decided to deliciously torture James once more. He forced himself to slow his motions and he slid up to the tip of James' pounding member, slaying there for a few seconds. He watched as James squirmed beneath him, the cool air hitting his now exposed, hot skin.

"Carlos...please..." James whimpered.

"Please what?" Carlos asked, sliding down just a bit.

James couldn't stand it any longer. He grabbed Carlos by the hips and flipped him over onto his back, shoving his aching member as deep as possible inside him. Carlos was slightly shocked by the sudden change in position and James' rough thrust. The thrust was so hard that he felt a momentary flash of pain. He whimpered. Hearing this, James forced himself to stay still for a moment.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked in concern.

"N-not really." Carlos said, "It's all right."

Nodding, James took Carlos' hands in his and laced their fingers together and brought them up to either side of Carlos' head. He began thrusting deeply and vigorously. Carlos arched his back suddenly when James hit his sweet spot perfectly.

"Oh, do that again." Carlos moaned.

James did so, repeating the rolling motion with his hips, hitting Carlos' sweet spot again, causing him to whimper weakly. He continued this motion, only this time he sped up his movements, pounding into Carlos with feverent passion.

"Oh, James...oh, kiss me...please." Carlos moaned.

James gladly responded and leaned down to give Carlos a hot, sultry kiss. They both moaned at the sweet contact and deepened the kiss, their tongues clashing with an electrifying sensation. Carlos felt the sensation begin to pool in his lower abdomen and he knew he was close to coming.

"J-James, I think...I think I'm going to come." Carlos gasped.

"Hold it as long as you can." James moaned, "I want this to last...as long as possible."

Carlos nodded and forced himself to stay his release. He groaned as James continued to thrust hard and deep. He wrapped his legs around James' waist, bringing him closer, their sweat-slick bodies sliding together. Carlos seemed to become a thousand times more sensitive between his legs and he felt every single tiny movement James made.

"T-touch me, James...please...touch me." Carlos gasped.

James reached down between them and grasped Carlos' painfully-hard erection in his hand. Carlos groaned and thrust his hips upward into James' gentle grip. James stroked Carlos in time with is vigorous thrusts, on the verge of coming himself. It all became too much for them and they both found themselves seized by the blinding heat of their passion. Carlos' back arched violently and he clenched his muscles so tight around James that he thought he would faint from the pleasure. James buried his face in Carlos' shoulder to muffle his screams as he came explosively, his member pressed deep inside his lover. Carlos cried out and held tightly to James as he, too, came, spilling his white-hot seed between them and into James' hand. As the pleasure slowly ebbed away, they found themselves breathless and their muscles felt like jelly. James collapsed on top of Carlos, gasping wildly. Carlos couldn't move; his body went limp and he gasped weakly to get a breath. His legs fell from being clamped tightly around James to laying limply to the sides, as did him arms. Once James gained an once of strength, he leaned up on his elbows, looking down at Carlos.

"C-Carlos..." he gasped.

Carlos forced his eyes open to look at James. James leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips. Carlos was too weak to respond, but James understood and didn't press the kiss further than just moving his lips slightly against Carlos'.

"I love you so much, Carlos." James said.

Carlos weakly nodded. James pulled his softening member out of Carlos and rolled over off him to allow him to breathe easier. It took several minutes, but they regained their breath. Carlos turned over on his side to face James and he snuggled himself into his side.

"That was incredible." he said.

"So were you." James whispered, draping his arms around Carlos' smaller body.

They lay there like this for several more minutes, not saying anything, just resting in each others warmth. While his body was at rest, James' mind was for from it. A thousand questions were running through his mind at once. He was trying to work up the courage to finally propose to Carlos, his one and only lover. He'd been carrying around the bracelet for weeks now, waiting for the perfect moment and he guessed this was it. Taking a deep breath, James reached over and took the small, black box from the side pocket of his backpack.

"Carlos, I need to-" he started, but stopped when he saw that Carlos had fallen asleep.

He was sleeping so peacefully, James didn't want to wake him. After such a physical exertion, he was surely very tired and drained of energy. Chewing his bottom lip, James placed the box back in the side pocket of his backpack; it could wait until tomorrow.

"I love you." he whispered, placing a soft kiss to Carlos' forehead.

**A/N: **Ha! Didn't I promise you this chapter would be longer? Somehow I think it is. LOL! :D **PLEASE R&R! I worked very hard on this chapter! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D If you don't like it, I'll be forced to send my minion pandas after you and they'll eat you in your sleep! LOL! :D **


	3. What's the Worst that Could Happen?

Hi, everyone! :D Hope you enjoyed the last chapter(and this one). :D **Note: Sorry for the wrong name being mentioned once in the sex-scene in the previous chapter. I 'borrowed' the lines for the scene from one of my Lord of the Rings stories and I had to go through and change the names from Merry&Pippin to James&Carlos and I must have missed one. I re-read the chapter and fixed it. :) Enjoy! **

**Chapter 3: What's the Worst that Could Happen? **

The next morning dawned early and James awoke to the sounds of early-morning nature. Peeping his eyes open, James could vaguely see the sun shining through the thin fabric of their tent. The light wasn't especially bright, just pleasantly there. But one thing that wasn't pleasant was the chilling cold that permeated the tent. Still being naked from the previous night's 'activities', James shivered and pulled the sleeping bag and blankets tighter around him. He glanced next to him and saw his beloved Carlos sound asleep, his back facing him. He was curled up in the fetal position, obviously trying to keep warm. The covers and sleeping bag were pulled up to just below his shoulders. James smiled as he watched him. He scooted forward so he was pressed up against him.

"Good morning, baby." he whispered, placing a kiss to his shoulder.

He was surprised by how cold Carlos' skin was against his lips. It was almost like kissing an ice cube.

"You must be freezing." James said, pulling the blankets up over both of them, "I'll keep you warm."

James snuggled into Carlos and wrapped an arm around his torso. They lay this way for several minutes, just resting in their warmth. James didn't know how long they'd lain there when he felt Carlos inhale deeply as he awakened. A smile crossed James' face as Carlos began to stir.

"Sleep well last night?" James asked softly.

"Hm?" Carlos moaned, not fully awake yet.

"Did you sleep well?" James repeated.

"Mm-hm." Carlos sighed as he turned over to face James, "It's so cold this morning."

"Mm. I hope it warms up later so we can go swimming again." James said.

Carlos nodded in agreement and snuggled into James' warmth, shivering slightly.

"I never thougt I would say this, but why don't we get some clothes on?" James suggested.

Carlos giggled and nodded. They threw the covers off them and stood. They hurriedly grabbed some warm clothes from their backpacks and put them on. James unzipped the tent door and they stepped out, being met by a burst of cold. It may have been cold, but the landscape was beautiful. The sky was dotted with fluffy clouds and the golden sun shone through them, casting a beautiful light upon the land below. Early-morning dew coated the smooth rocks all over the shore, making them glisten. A dense 'fog' hung a few feet over the crystal water of the lake, perhaps ghosts of the forest's previous inhabitants, whoever they may have been.

"Nice morning, isn't it?" Carlos said, shivering a little and stuffing his hands in the pockets on the front of his favorite orange-and-brown hoodie.

"Yeah." James said, "Oh, hang on a second."

James ducked his head into the tent and retrieved something from his backpack. It was his camera.

"Go stand down there by the lake and let me get a few pictures." he said, turning his camera on.

Carlos smiled; James was always wanting to take pictures of him, to preserve every memory of their relationship. And, Carlos had to admit, he was quite a good photographer. He walked across the rocky beach and stood several feet away.

"This good?" he called back to James.

"Perfect, now just stand there and look out over the lake." James called back.

Carlos did so and he heard a faint beep as James took the picture.

"That was great." James said, prompting Carlos to walk back over to him, "I'm gonna take a few more pictures, then we can fix breakfast."

" 'kay. I'll get a fire going." Carlos said.

He and James walked in opposite directions; James walking over along the lake, Carlos over to the edge of the woods to gather firewood. He stepped over a rotting log and bent to pick up some small sticks and branches. All the branches were damp with dew; he hoped they would light. As he walked a little deeper in the woods, he got an uneasy feeling like someone was watching him. He tried to shake the feeling, but it wouldn't go away. As he continued to pick up small branches for firewood, he made sure he always kept the camp within sight. as he bent once more to pick up a promising branch, he suddenly heard a twig snap behind him. He shot up and his eyes darted around. Nothing.

"H-hello?" he asked.

Nothing. He glanced through the trees and saw James still taking pictures of the lake, his back turned; so it couldn't have been him playing a trick. Suddenly, another twig snapped, this one seeming to come from the other direction. Carlos whipped his head around. By now, he was getting a little scared.

"I-is anyone there?" he asked, his voice shaky.

Again, nothing. His heart pounding, Carlos grabbed the branch and sprinted down the hill back to their camp where he once again felt safe. He swallowed hard, dropping the twigs and branches to the ground beside the hand-made fire ring they'd made last night.

"Great, you found some branches." James said, walking back over.

"You get some good pictures?" Carlos asked, choosing not to mention his uneasy feeling in the woods.

"Yeah." James said, putting his camera back in the tent.

He then proceeded to help Carlos build a small but very warm fire, which they sat around huddled together. For breakfast, they each had a sandwich and some chips.

As the day progressed, it significantly warmed up, prompting James and Carlos to shed their thick hoodies. It warmed up enough that they could go swimming around three o'clock in the afternoon. They romped and played in the water for over an hour. And James made sure he didn't sneak up on Carlos and dunk him by surprise again. Surprisingly, the water was rather warm from the sun and it was very pleasant. About thirty minutes later, James felt the urge of the 'call of nature'. He didn't want to relieve himself in the lake and have Carlos think he was gross, so he swam towards shore.

"Where you going?" Carlos called after him.

"I'll just be right back." James called as he reached the shore.

He walked several yards down the beach before he turned and entered the woods. He made sure he was out of sight before he 'tended to his business'. As he stood there, he suddenly heard a twig snap behind him...

Deciding to take advantage of the few minutes of solo swim-time, Carlos floated leisurely on his back, closing his eyes against the blinding sun overhead. He didn't know how long he'd lain there when he heard a muffled cry(it was muffled because his ears were under the water). He looked up and saw James running down the beach, stumbling over the rocks and waving his arms frantically. _What the hell is he doing? _

"Carlos! Carlos, RUN!" James called desperately.

It was happening so fast, Carlos didn't know what to do. But he was suddenly stuck by fear when he glance up the shore a few feet behind James. His boyfriend was being chased by two, large rough-looking men. _Who were they? Where did they come from? _

Carlos' fear was changed to horror when he saw the two men catch up to James and tackle him to the ground and began to attack him, kicking and beat him.

"James!" Carlos cried.

He swam as fast as his limbs would allow him tom but he couldn't seem to get there fast enough. He could have been going a hundred miles an hour and it wouldn't have seemed fast enough. But he finally reached the shore and ran over to where the two strangers were attacking James

"Get off him!" Carlos cried, tackling one of them to the ground.

The only reason Carlos was able to tackle the big, burly man was the fact that he was caught off-guard.

"You're gonna pay for that." the man growled.

The last thing Carlos remembered was seeing the man's fist raised in the air...

* * *

The first thing James became aware of was a sharp pain in his head and neck. He slowly opened his eyes and found that he was tied to a wooden chair by his arms and legs. His eyes shot up and he looked around. Taking a survey of his surroundings, he saw that he was in an old(probably abandoned) cabin. The floor was dusty and the wood on the walls looked like it was in various stages of rotting. But all this was pushed to the back of his mind when his eyes fell upon Carlos. Carlos was also tied to a chair in the same way James was. He was still unconscious and his head hung limply downward. To his horror, James saw a thin stream of blood stemming from a cut on his forehead.

"Carlos!" he said, trying to wake him.

Carlos didn't respond. James tried to reach over to shake him a little, but his bindings restricted him and al he could do was bend his wrist back.

"Carlos, can you hear me?" James asked.

This time, Carlos stirred slightly. He moaned weakly as he was slowly becoming conscious. It took a couple minutes, but he finally peeped his eyes open, wincing at the pain in his head.

"Baby. You okay?" James asked softly.

Carlos moaned and lifted his head to look around.

"Wh-where are we?" he asked, not recognizing his surroundings.

"I think we're in some kind of cabin." James answered.

They were suddenly startled by several loud thuds seeming to come from above. It sounded like two sets of heavy footsteps in the attic. The footsteps approached and stopped suddenly.

"Lookie, here." a voice said, "The little runts are awake."

James looked around and saw the two men from before climbing down a wooden ladder from the attic.

"What do you want with us?" he asked as the two men walked around in front of them.

The men just stared at them, smiling menacingly. Finally, one of them said, "We're gonna have some fun." A chill ran down James' spine at the malice held in the man's voice.

"Which one do you think we should do first?" the other man asked.

The other, taller man eyed them both for a minute.

"Him." he said, pointing at Carlos.

James' heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. What were they about to do to his precious Carlos? He looked over at Carlos and he saw a look of fear written all over his face. He was helpless as the taller of the two men walked over and easily picked up Carlos, chair and all, and set him in the middle of the room, facing James. The look of fear in Carlos' eyes seemed to be crying out for help.

"Don't you lay a finger on him!" James yelled, struggling against his bindings.

"Oh, we won't." on of the men said, "We'll just lay this on him."

He took out a knife with a five-inch blade. The light glinted off the clean blade and reflected eerily in the man's menacing eyes.

"Please! Don't hurt him! Do whatever you want to me, just don't hurt him!" James pleaded.

"James, no..." Carlos said in a small, frightened voice.

He was suddenly interrupted by a sharp punch to the face.

"Hey! Who said you could talk?" the man yelled.

Carlos whimpered as blood began to stream from his split lip. The man moved around in front of him and bent down so they were at eye-level. For a second, he just stared at him.

"How much would it take to make you scream?" he asked, holding up the five-inch knife.

Carlos was too afraid to speak.

"Not talking, huh? Well, that's okay. You will soon enough." the man said.

He took the knife and pressed the tip into the soft skin on Carlos' chest just below his collar bone. He slowly increased the pressure until the tip of the knife punctured the skin, causing Carlos to wince. But then, the man drug the knife slowly along, making a deep cut in the once perfect skin. Carlos whimpered and tears came to his eyes. He felt the warm blood stem from the wound, sliding down his cold skin.

"Hm. Interesting." the man said, eying the bloody blade of his knife, "If that's all it takes to make you whimper, let's see what it'll take to make you scream."

With that, he walked around behind Carlos. Once the man stepped out of the way, James could finally see what he had done. He felt anger, fear, and sorrow all at the same time. he felt fear for the thought of the man doing anything further to hurt Carlos; he felt anger at the man for doing such things to him; and he felt sorrow at the sight of his precious Carlos in pain. It hurt him to see Carlos in any kind of pain.

"P-please...d-don't." Carlos whimpered, tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Crying won't get you anywhere." the man said, lightly sliding the blade across Carlos' throat.

Carlos cringed at the slight touch and he shook with fear. He glanced back and saw the man holding the knife above his head. He barely had time to react before he felt a blinding, sharp pain sear through his left shoulder. The man had stabbed him, plunging the whole five-inch blade into his shoulder. An agonized cry tore from his throat and he struggled against his tight bindings. The bindings were so tight, it felt like they were cutting into his wrists.

"NO!" James cried, "Stop it! Get your filthy hands off him!"

The man behind Carlos only laughed. He _laughed. _He was actually enjoying this. The monster! He pulled the knife from Carlos' shoulder, causing blood to pour from it.

"Please stop!" Carlos cried in pain.

"You think this is pain? You just wait." the man said.

He waisted no time in plunging the knife to the hilt into the middle of Carlos' back. The pain was so agonizing, so intense that Carlos couldn't even scream. He felt a fiery jolt shock his body, paralyzing it for a second before everything went numb. A pain gasp escaped his lips and his eyes went wide.

"CARLOS! NOOOO!" James cried, tears streaming down his face.

Instead of pulling the knife from Carlos' back, he twisted it around inside him, causing blood to pour from the wound. Only then did Carlos make a sound. But this wasn't only a sound, it was a scream. Sure you've heard screams before on TV and stuff, but those do not compare to the utterly agonized, ear-splitting scream that erupted from Carlos' throat. It was a scream that would have rent the hearts of even the most cruel of men. Well, almost; not the two currently in the room with them.

As the scream died down, Carlos felt a sharp stinging in his throat from screaming so loud. He gasped as the pain persisted. It felt as if someone were jabbing a white-hot blade in his back and it throbbed fiercely. The more Carlos gasped, the more short of breath he felt. He coughed and gasped for air. Oh, no. Not again! He suddenly felt his throat tightening and the firey flame of pain was lit anew in his chest. Asthma. His breath came in short, desperate wheezes and pitiful little gasps. He panicked and his eyes darted around the room. They fell upon James, who was out of his mind with worry. Carlos couldn't cry out, but his eyes did the pleading for him.

"H-help..." he wheezed.

"Please, you have to let us go! He has asthma! He needs his inhaler! Please!" James pleaded.

"You really think we're going to let ou go?" the other man said, "Not a chance."

"Please! He could die!" James pleaded, cutting his eyes over to Carlos, who had a pained look on his face as he desperately fought for air.

"J-James..." he managed to whisper.

"What is it, baby?" James asked, feeling his eyes burn from tears.

"I l-love you..." Carlos was able to gasp before the feeling of light-headedness slowly creeped in.

James cried and struggled desparately at his bindings, the tight ropes cutting into his delicate skin. He had to get to Carlos. He just had to. His futile struggles must have been amusing to the two men because they erupted into laughter and shot taunting words at the two of them.

"SHUT UP!" James screamed at them.

He glanced over at Carlos and saw that his lips had already taken on a blue tinge and his face was growing more and more pale by the second. Each strained breath was agony for Carlos, and it was becoming more and more difficult to draw those breaths. His throat tightened further, completely cutting off his airway. He couldn't breathe. He was suffocating. The last thing he remembered before darkness claimed him was the sight of James crying and struggling against his ridiculously-tight bindings...

**A/N: **Well, there it is! Things are starting to happen... ;) **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	4. The Monster is Unleashed

Hehehe! Sorry for the cliffy in the last chapter. Hope you enjoy this one! :D

**Chapter 4: The Monster is Unleashed**

After Carlos fell unconscious, James was more frantic than ever to get free from his bindings. He was 'allowed' to struggle a few more minutes before he was once again knocked unconscious by one of the men. When he finally woke up, it was the next day. The first thing he became aware of was the intensified pain in his head. He groaned; it felt as if someone were in his head, pounding on his brain with a sledgehammer. His head felt heavy and his neck hurt from being hunched over in its limp state for so long. Forcing his head up, James groaned at the sharp pain the shot through his neck. He noticed a wet, sticky feeling all down the side of his face; it was blood. The feeling made him sick to his stomach and he tried to ignore it. He shivered a little because the only thing he was wearing was his swim trunks from yesterday. That's all Carlos had been wearing, too. Wait, Carlos!

James' eyes darted around the room, looking for any sign of Carlos. His eyes fell upon him and his heart broke at the sight. Carlos was no longer tied to the chair, but rather tied to a raggedy bed on the corner. James' chair had been turned to face him. Carlos' limp body was spread out, his arms tied to the two posts on either side of the short headboard, his feet tied to the posts at the foot of the bed. He was still unconscious and barely breathing. His face was pale and his lips were tinged with blue. Underneath him, James saw a large blood stain soaking the white sheet; it was from the stab wound to his back.

"Carlos! Baby, can you hear me?" James asked, wishing more than anything that he could just lay down next to him and hold him and make all his hurts go away.

A small moan escaped Carlos' lips. He shifted his head a little and peeped his eyes open. The instant he opened his eyes he cried out in pain as feeling settled in.

"James..." Carlos whimpered, his face scrunching up in pain.

"I'm right here, baby." James said.

Carlos glanced over at him, his eyes glistening with tears.

"James...you're hurt..." he said, noticing the dried blood all down the side of James' face.

"I'm okay." James said, "How do you feel?"

"It hurts so bad." Carlos whimpered.

"Do you think you can get free?" James asked.

He could have kicked himself for asking, but at the moment, it seemed like their only chance of escape. Carlos pulled at his bindings on his hands; they were very tight and they chafed when he moved.

"I can't; they're too tight." Carlos said.

"Try the ones on your feet." James said.

Carlos tried to tug at the bindings, but he couldn't get his legs to move. Wait, what? His legs wouldn't move?

"J-James...I can't feel my legs." Carlos whimpered.

Fear struck them both. Carlos' breath became rapid as he began to panic. Tears welled up in his eyes again.

"No, Carlos. Carlos! Try not to panic; you'll have another attack. Just breathe. Calm down." James tried to comfort him.

Carlos forced his breath to return to a relatively normal pace, but he still cried. God, he was so scared. What if he was never able to walk again? He wouldn't be able to run and have fun with his friends like he always did and, oh, God, he wouldn't be able to dance. He loved to dance with his friends in the recording studio. It was so much fun and exhilarating to dance through a song. What if he was never able to do that again? What if he was confined to a wheelchair the rest of his life? He was only seventeen; this couldn't be happening, could it?

They were suddenly broken out of their thoughts when the two men climbed down out of the attic(where they were apparently staying).

"Oh, good, you're awake." one of them said, walking over to the side of the bed, "You know, you're so pretty all spread out like this."

The man ran his hand down the side of Carlos' face in an almost loving manner. It made Carlos cringe and made James mad.

"Get your hands off him!" James said angrily.

"Aw, looks like he doesn't want anyone else touching his precious boyfriend." the man taunted, "What do you suppose we do about that?"

He and the other man exchanged menacing glances and the one closest to Carlos nodded. The other stepped over behind James and bent over so his and James' heads were level.

"The fun is about to begin." he whispered into James' ear.

His eyes wide with fear, James watched as the other man walked over to the foot of the bed and untied Carlos' limp feet. Tossing the ropes to the floor, he walked around to the side of the bed and removed his shirt. What was he about to do? Carlos' heart was pounding and he was powerless as the man proceeded to crawl on top of him.

"Mmm, you're such a pretty little boy." the man moaned, pressing his hips hard into Carlos.

Carlos whimpered in fear.

"Wh-what are you gonna do?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"You'll see." the man said, giving Carlos a menacing smirk, "Let's see what your hiding under here."

Before Carlos could react, he felt his swim trunks being ripped from his body and thrown to the floor. He was paralyzed with fear and his eyes widened when he glanced down and saw that the man was aroused. He was _aroused_. Oh, God, no...

"P-please..." Carlos whimpered.

"Please? Please what?" the man asked, grinding against Carlos and groaning.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!" James screamed, struggling wildly against his bindings.

The tight ropes were cutting into his skin and making him bleed, but he didn't care. His boyfriend, the one person in the world that he truly loved, was about to be raped right in front of him...and he was powerless to stop it. He watched in horror as the man leaned up on his knees and pulled his jeans down, freeing his huge member. Carlos' eyes widened when he saw how _big_ the man was; at least eight inches, and _thick_.

"P-please don't..." Carlos begged, "L-let me go..."

"Now that wouldn't be much fun, now would it?" the man asked, lowering himself down between Carlos' limp legs.

"No..." Carlos whimpered, his voice faint and full of fear.

"Sing for me, Carlos." the man moaned before thrusting himself _all _the way inside Carlos.

An agonized cry tore from Carlos and his body seized up in pain. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks and he cried out again as the man began to thrust rapidly.

"No! No, please!" Carlos cried, "Please don't! I don't want this! Please stop!"

The man raised his hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"Who said you could talk?" he moaned.

James had to look away. He couldn't bear to see this. Tears streamed down his reddened cheeks and he squeezed his eyes shut. He felt completely helpless. His boyfriend, his lover, was being raped right in front of him and he was powerless to stop it. Every cry, every scream, every plea tore its way right to his heart...right to his soul where only Carlos dwelt. He would never be able to get those cries out of his head for the rest of his life. They would be with him forever.

"James! Help me! PLEASE!" Carlos screamed.

James glanced over and the image before him shattered his heart. Carlos was looking at him, his cheeks red and stained with the rivers of tears that poured from his bloodshot eyes. An angry red mark was forming on his left cheek where the man had slapped him. But the look in his eyes is what hurt the most. It was a look of unspeakable pain, of suffering, and pleading. Pleading for help. There was also an utterly broken look there. What if Carlos was never the same again? What if he was broken forever?

"I'm so sorry." James mouthed, unable to speak from the tears that fell from his eyes.

"Mmm, look at it." the man behind him moaned, "Isn't it hot?"

James felt his stomach turn at the sick lust in the man's voice. He heard the man moaning and sighing, obviously touching himself, jacking off to the sight of Carlos being raped. Meanwhile, Carlos was in absolute agony. It felt as if someone were holding a flaming torch inside him. He struggled against his bindings, the tight rope cutting into his skin, only causing him more pain. With every tug at the ropes, it felt like they got tighter.

"Mmmm, yeah!" the man moaned, "Feels so good...mmmm, take it! Take it!"

Carlos couldn't believe the man was actually _enjoying _this. It was the absolute, complete opposite of the gentleness he was used to with James. How could this be happening? How? He'd heard horror stories on the News and those 20/20 shows of people being raped, and it never even occurred to him that one day this would be happening to him.

"Mmmm, say you like it." the man moaned.

Carlos didn't say a word.

"Say it!" the yelled, slapping Carlos very heard again.

Carlos whimpered.

"I-I l-like it. I like it." he cried, fearing another slap.

"Mmm, you know you do." the man said, "Say you love me. Say it!"

Carlos would say he liked it. He would say he wanted it. He would even say he wanted to feel the man's cum inside him. But he would _never _say that he loved this vicious animal. Never.

"Never." Carlos said.

He was 'rewarded' by a rough, deep thrust from the man. He cried out as he felt blood start to trickle out of his opening.

"Say it, you little whore!" the man yelled.

Carlos refused to say anything. The only person he would ever say 'I love you' in a passionate way to would be James. This earned him a punch to the face.

"PLEASE GET OFF HIM! YOU'RE HURTING HIM!" James cried desperately.

"Oh, he will soon enough." the man behind him moaned.

"Aw. What's the matter?" the man on Carlos asked, "Don't like seeing someone _else _screwing your precious boyfriend?"

There was nothing James could do as the man increased the speed and force of his thrusting, obviously getting closer and closer to his release, which came about a minute later. The man groaned loudly and threw his head back as he released himself deep inside Carlos. Soon, James heard another groan behind him as the other man released. The man on Carlos regained his breath and pulled out of him.

"You're so good." the man said, "That was some of the best sex I've ever had."

The man patted Carlos on the cheek before standing and dressing himself. But before he did, he wiped Carlos' blood off his member like it didn't matter. Like it was just a nuisance to him.

"Come on," he said, walking around to the man behind James, "Let's go have some fun of our own."

With that, they both climbed up the ladder leading to the attic. Once they were out of sight, both James and Carlos broke down into more tears.

"James..." Carlos whimpered.

"I'm so sorry, Carlos. I'm so sorry." was all James could say.

Not even a minute later, the man who had just raped Carlos came back into the room.

"What do you want now?" James cried.

"I just forgot to do something." the man said, walking over to the bed.

Before either of them could do anything, the man drew his knife out of his back pocket and plunged its five-inch blade into Carlos' abdomen. An agonized cry tore from Carlos' throat as the man pushed almost an inch of the handle of the knife into him.

"I love to hear my victims scream." the man said, withdrawing the knife.

Victim_s_. He had done this before? How many times before? How many other boys had he raped and tortured? How many families had he ruined? But the big question was: How many of those boys had survived?

"CARLOS!" James screamed, "NOOOO!"

All James could do was stare in horror as blood began to pour from the wound in Carlos' abdomen. Carlos whimpered and coughed, a strangled sound coming from his throat. He coughed three more times before he brought up blood with one of them.

"You're so pretty when you're painted red." the man said, gazing at the stream of blood sliding down Carlos' face and pouring from his abdomen.

"HOW COULD YOU?" James screamed, struggling against his slightly-looser bindings.

The man only laughed.

"Get some sleep." he said before slamming the handle of the knife into James' head very hard, instantly knocking him unconscious.

"Come on, baby." the other man said, poking his head out of the entrance to the attic, "I'm getting restless up here."

Smiling, the man climbed up the ladder to do his filthy deeds with his partner-in-crime.

**A/N: **Well, didn't I tell you there would be more angst? **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	5. Escape

Was that an angsty chapter or WHAT? :D

**Chapter 5: Escape**

It was late that same day when James finally awoke from deep unconsciousness. The pain in his head had intensified ten-fold and he couldn't help but cry out. It felt as if his head were about to explode. Lifting his head, he groaned and scrunched up his face in pain, trying to will the throbbing to go away or at least lessen. It took several minutes, but James finally willed the pounding in his head to dim to a manageable level. Opening his eyes, James gasped and let his head fall back. He was emotionally exhausted and physically very uncomfortable. Sitting up in the chair for so long was starting to make his back and backside hurt. He had an uncomfortable pang in his neck from having it hunched forward for hours at a time while unconscious. But his wrists and ankles were what hurt the most. From his wild struggling against the ropes, he'd succeeded in making them cut rather deeply into his skin, and the constant pressure and painful chafing with every little move wasn't helping at all. He also noticed a nagging pain in his stomach; he hadn't eaten anything in almost two days and he was so thirsty, having not had anything to drink in equally as long. He would give anything to share a strawberry smoothie with Carlos right now. Carlos!

James snapped his head up and looked around the room. Nothing. No Carlos. Anywhere. Where was he? The only sign that Carlos had been there was the blood-soaked sheet on the bed in front of him. Seeing the bloody sheet brought back painful memories of the man raping his precious Carlos. James shuddered at the memories and tried to push them to the back of his mind so he could focus. Forcing himself to remain calm, James tried to think of a plan. Anything. As he thought, he noticed that things were silent. He heard no footsteps or talking in the attic above. The men must be gone somewhere. Either that or they were asleep. James hoped it was the first one. He was broken out of his thoughts suddenly when he felt something wet land on his hand. He looked down and saw a drop of blood on the back of his hand. He looked up and was hit on the cheek by another blood drop. He saw a small amount of blood seeping through the boards in the ceiling. No. Carlos!

The thought of Carlos laying in the attic, broken and bleeding made James' stomach turn. He just _had _to get free. Biting his lower lip, James struggled against his bindings, whimpering in pain as he did.

"Oh, come on. Come on!" James grunted in frustration and pain.

For a good five minutes, James pulled and tugged at the ropes and managed to loosen them just enough to barely slide his hands out. He heaved a sigh of relief when his hands were finally free and he leaned down and untied his ankles. It felt so good to finally be free from the tight ropes. Standing, James walked around his chair and over to the wooden ladder leading up to the attic. He climbed it slowly, peeping in first to make sure the coast was cear. It was, and he climbed the rest of the way into the rather large attic. He glanced around and saw a white sheet covering a mattress in the corner under the window. The sheet was blood-stained and had an elongated mound beneath it; undoubtedly a person. But what chilled James to his core was the sight of an unmoving hand hanging out from under the corner of the sheet.

"No..." he whispered, rushing over.

He fell on his knees beside the mattress and, with a shaking hand, pulled the sheet down. What he saw made his heart stop for a split second. He felt a deep chill run up his spine and his breath caught in his throat. For a moment, he was paralyzed with fear and anguish. There, right in front of him, was the bloodied, lifeless body of his lover: Carlos. Carlos was completely motionless and he was covered in blood oozing from various wounds on his beaten body. In between the streams of blood, James could see dark bruises adorning his once perfect skin. Not an inch of Carlos' body seemed unharmed. Dark bruises were around his neck. They had strangled him into unconsciousness. How could they? Glancing down, James saw more bruising to Carlos' thighs and he was bleeding between his legs.

"N-no...Carlos..." James whispered and he reached out and stroked Carlos' hair gently.

Carlos didn't answer.

"C-Carlos...c-can you hear me?" James asked, leaning in and on the verge of tears.

Still, nothing. As the tears began to fall, James gently pulled Carlos' limp body into his arms and held him, rocking him gently. Carlos was like a rag-doll in his arms and he was so cold. Why was he so cold?

"Carlos...p-please...d-don't do this. Please come b-back to me." James sobbed, "Please don't leave me."

It may have been his imagination, but he thought he heard the smallest of moans escape Carlos' lips.

"Baby? Can you hear me?" James asked.

Another moan. And this time, Carlos stirred slightly. He was alive!

"Come one, baby, open your eyes for me." James encouraged gently.

Carlos' eyes peeped open slightly and he began to struggle weakly.

"N-no...please! D-don't hurt me! I promise I'll be good! I promise!" he cried, struggling to free himself, thinking he was still in the clutches of the heartless men.

"Carlos, baby, it's me! It's James!" James said, trying to calm Carlos.

Upon hearing his love's name, Carlos stopped struggling and forced his eyes open all the way.

"J-James?" he asked weakly.

"Yes, I'm here now. You're safe." James reassured him, holding him close.

"James...hurts..." Carlos weakly said.

James could tell he was struggling to speak. His heart broke at the sight of his lover's beaten, broken body in his arms. How could anyone be so cruel and heartless as to do something like this to anyone, especially Carlos? Carlos was innocent; he didn't deserve this. He was always so full of energy and life. James didn't want that to be taken away from him. He knew that Carlos may never be the same again. He knew he may be scarred for life. What if they'd lost their precious friend?

As Carlos slipped back into unconsciousness, James glanced to the side and saw something. He thought he saw...was that his camera? Reaching over, James picked up the black-and-silver object laying on the floor beside the mattress. It was definitely his camera. The men must have taken it when they abducted them. He turned it on and pressed 'review'. The images that were displayed on the screen were horrific, gory pictures of Carlos being tortured at the hands of the men. They had actually taken pictures of it? That was sick. As James flipped through the thirty-plus pictures of Carlos being tortured, he came to one that said 'video clip' at the bottom. Oh, no. What was this? Taking a deep breath, James pressed 'play' and watched the video clip play on the small screen. He was horrified. It was a twenty-minute video of Carlos being raped multiple more times by _both _the men! Tears Came to James' eyes and he couldn't watch the whole thing. He wanted more than anything to just delete those horrible images, but he knew he couldn't; they were proof of what happened. Turning off the camera, James put it in the pocket of his swim trunks. He turned his attention back to Carlos.

"Carlos, can you hear me?" he asked, leaning over him and shaking him gently.

Carlos moaned like a little kid refusing to get up in the morning.

"Come on, baby, I need you to wake up." James said.

Carlos reluctantly opened his eyes and whimpered in pain.

"James...so sleepy...hurts..." Carlos mumbled.

"I know it hurts, baby. It's gonna he okay. We're gonna get out of here." James reassured him.

Moaning, Carlos slipped off again. The way he was in and out of consciousness so quickly worried James. What if he had some sort of head trauma? Forcing himself to remain calm, James reached for the bloody sheet and he wrapped it around Carlos to both keep him as warm as possible and to give him some dignity, as he was naked.

"Come on, Carlos." James said, lifting his limp body into his arms, "We're getting out of here."

With that, James walked across the attic and(with great difficulty)managed to climb down the steps. He quickly crossed the small cabin and opened the(surprisingly unlocked) door. He stumbled onto the porch and was met by a burst of cool air. Oh, the air smelled so fresh and cool; a stark contrast to the stuffy, dusty air in the cabin. He could really breath out here. And he knew Carlos could probably breathe better, too; all that dust and dirt being stirred up in the cabin wasn't doing his asthma any good at all. He paused for a moment to fill his lungs with the refreshing air.

"Oh, do you feel that air, Carlos? Feel how cool and fresh it is?" James asked.

The only answer that met James' ears was a small moan from Carlos. At least he'd heard him and he knew he was there. Knowing they couldn't waist anymore time, James broke into a run. He held Carlos firmly to reduce the bumpiness of the ride as much as possible. Running through the forest bare-footed and in the dim evening light was tough on James. He was constantly stepping on sharp sticks and thorns and he nearly tripped several times. The low-hanging branches of the trees and bushes hung down in his way like angry hands, trying to keep him confined to the inner realms of the forest. But he refused to be held back. He would not be kept here to be lost forever with his possibly dying lover. They were going to get out of here and get to help. He knew that if they could just get to their campsite, they would be okay; they had food and water there as well as the First Aid kit Logan had talked them into taking. They also had their cell phones there; they could call for help.

James ran and ran until he could not run anymore. He'd cleared a rather good distance between them and the cabin and he finally felt the need to rest. Gasping, he walked over to the 'shelter' of a large tree and sat down against its thick trunk. He held Carlos gently in his arms and stroked his hair comfortingly. A small moan sounded from Carlos and he turned his head into the gentle touch.

"It's okay, Carlos. I've got you. Nothing else bad is going to happen to you." James reassured him.

Carlos weakly opened his eyes and looked up at James. James looked in sympathy down at Carlos. His eyes were full of pain and suffering.

"James...I'm cold." Carlos said in a pitiful, weak voice.

"I know, baby. I am, too." James said, tucking the sheet a little tighter around Carlos.

The thin sheet was the only thing separating Carlos' naked body from the cold night air. He shivered in James' arms and tried his best to snuggle into him. A few minutes passed before Carlos spoke again.

"James, do you still love me?" he asked.

"What?" James asked, both in surprise and to make sure he heard Carlos right.

"Do you still love me?" Carlos repeated.

"What are you talking about? Of course I do." James said, "Why would you feel the need to ask that?"

"I just...I feel so dirty. So ashamed." Carlos said, his voice breaking on the last word.

"Carlos, you have nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn't your fault. Those men violated you, and they had no right to do that." James explained, "And that does _not _change the way I feel about you. I could _never _stop loving you. Never. I promise."

Carlos sniffled and buried his face into James' arm.

"I'm just glad I don't have to go through this alone." he said, "You w-won't leave me, w-will you?"

"Of course not!" James said, "I'll never _ever _leave you. I promise."

"Th-thank you." Carlos whimpered.

"It's okay, baby. Everything's gonna he okay." James gently comforted.

"What's gonna happen to us?" Carlos asked in fear.

"We're going to get out of here and we'll get through this." James said.

"How are we gonna get out of here if I can't even walk? I still can't feel my legs." Carlos cried.

"I'll be your legs." James said, "I'll carry you."

"You can't carry me all that way. There's no telling how far we are from our camp." Carlos said.

"Yes, I can. I'm _not _going to leave you." James said, "Now just try to get some sleep; you're gonna need your strength."

Carlos nodded and let himself slowly slip into the world of sleep.

"Just sleep." James whispered, placing a light kiss to Carlos' forehead, "I'm here."

As the minutes dragged on into hours, all James could do was sit there, listening to Carlos' labored breathing. His lungs were no doubt still inflamed from his asthma attack the previous day. The attack had gone unmedicated and James knew that could be dangerous, especially in Carlos' weakened state. James shivered as a cold breeze blew by, bringing with it the sounds of wolves howling in the distance. Upon hearing the wolves howling, James became scared; he so hoped they weren't anywhere close. As the hours dragged on, James felt himself becoming more and more sleepy. He tried to force himself to stay awake, but exhaustion eventually got the best of him and his eyes slipped shut.

**A/N: There it its! :D So sorry it took so long to update; I've been working on a couple other stories. :) Hope you likie! :D PLEASE R&R! :D **


	6. Shelter in the Storm

Thanks, everyone for your great and supportive reviews! I'm soooooooo glad you like the story so far! :D

**Chapter 6: Shelter in the Storm**

The next morning when James woke up, he awoke to a splitting head-ache. He guessed it was from being hit in the head numerous time, but also it was from not having anything to eat or drink in almost three days now. If felt as if someone were holding his head in a vicegrip. He opened his eyes, but immediately shut them again because of the blinding sunlight that streamed through the trees. The second thing he became aware of was an uncomfortable twinge in his back from sitting against the tree all night. He shifted to try to get more comfortable, but only succeeded in scratching his back on the rough bark. Sighing with irritation, he peeped his eyes open slowly, allowing them time to get used to the sunlight. As he opened his eyes, he noticed that his mouth was incredibly dry. God, he was so thirsty! He was no doubt dehydrated and he was so hungry. He tried to push all this to the back of his mind so he could focus on the situation at hand.

He looked down to the motionless bundle in his arms. Carlos. The only sign that Carlos was still alive was the shallow rise and fall of his chest. He looked so small, so weak and hurt. It hurt James so much to see his precious Carlos in this condition. He wished more than anything that he could take Carlos' place so he would be okay and not have to go through so much pain and the tremendous healing process ahead.

"Carlos." James said, surprised by how soft and scratchy his voice sounded.

Carlos didn't answer. Clearing his throat, James tried again.

"Carlos, baby, it's time to wake up." he said, gently running his hands through Carlos' blood-matted hair.

Upon hearing his love's voice, Carlos turned his head towards the voice and weakly forced his eyes open. He smiled slightly when he saw James.

" ' morning." he said weakly.

"Morning, baby." James said softly, stroking his hair, "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts so bad." Carlos said, "My back is killing me."

James frowned at this. The wound Carlos had sustained that worried him the most was the deep stab wound to his back. He knew this was probably the most serious of all the wounds he had sustained. He had no idea what kind of internal injuries Carlos had, though he knew they were serious.

"I'm so hungry and thirsty." Carlos moaned, "I could really go for a corndog right about now."

James couldn't help but smile. Carlos and his corndogs. That brought back fond memories of not so long ago when Carlos was so full of life and an endless supply of happiness. When he would get so excited when they had corndogs for dinner(or breakfast). Would they ever be like that again?

James shook the thought from his head and turned his attention back to Carlos.

"Carlos, baby, we've gotta get moving." he said, "We're gonna try and get mack to our campsite."

Carlos nodded and pulled the sheet tighter around his body. James shifted around until he was able to get on his knees, then stand, lifting Carlos' small body into his arms. Even though Carlos was rather light, James nearly toppled over from weakness and dizziness upon standing. He leaned back against the tree until the dizziness passed a couple minutes later. Regaining his mobility, James began to walk. He had no idea which direction their campsite was in, he just chose a direction and hoped against hope that it was the right one. He walked for hours, only stopping a couple times to rest his legs. With every step he took, pain shot through his feet. He'd sustained several cuts and scrapes to his bare feet and they were bleeding. His lower-legs were also covered in shallow cuts from thorns and sharp shrub branches.

As the middle of the day approached, James was so tired, he wished he and Carlos could just curl up somewhere and rest without fear or pain. As much as he wanted to just collapse where he was and rest, he knew he had to keep going. He just had to get Carlos out of here as soon as possible. James didn't know how far he'd gone when he had to stop for another short break. He stood, leaning against a tree, still holding Carlos in his arms. As he caught his breath, he thought he heard a familiar sound through the trees. He listened very close and he thought he heard the sound of water flowing. Water!

"Carlos, do you hear that?" he asked, shaking Carlos gently to rouse him.

"What?" Carlos moan, opening his eyes a little.

"Do you hear that?" James repeated, "It sounds like water."

"...so thirsty..." Carlos moaned, hovering on the brink of consciousness.

James sprinted forward toward the sound and soon came across a large stream just full of glistening, clear water. He breathed a sigh of relief and fell on his knees beside the stream.

"Carlos, you need to drink something." he said.

Carlos nodded. James reached down and cupped his hand, managing to get a little bit of the water in the palm of his hand. He brought it up to Carlos' chapped lips, which he parted slightly. Carlos gladly drank in the life-giving liquid. Oh, it felt like heaven in his parched throat! James repeated this several more times until Carlos drifted off again. He then very gently lay Carlos on the ground beside him. He cupped his hands together and quickly quenched his longing thirst. Once his thirst was quenched, he felt so much better and his head felt clearer. His nagging head-ache even seemed to diminish just a little.

James decided to take the opportunity of clear-headedness and take a look at Carlos' wounds. He scooted around so he was facing Carlos, sitting on his knees. He gently unwrapped him from the sheet, making sure he kept his lower half covered, both to give him a sense of security and dignity. When James removed the sheet from around Carlos' upper body, he was shocked; the stab wound to Carlos' abdomen was all red and inflamed(and more than likely infected). He couldn't even begin to imagine how painful that must be. And there was nothing he could do to help it. At least not here. He just had to get them to their campsite. James re-wrapped Carlos in the sheet and lifted him into his arms, standing. He carefully crossed the stream and continued on.

* * *

James continued to walk throughout the day. His legs, arms, and back ached, but he forced himself to keep going. While he had quenched his incredible thirst hours ago, he was still so hungry. It seemed like every five minutes, his stomach 'growled' only reminding him more of his hunger when he was trying to push it to the back of his mind. But through everything the main thing he felt was worry. Worry and fear. Fear for Carlos. Fear for himself. Fear for their lives. What if they both died out here and Carlos will have never known why James had even suggested they come on this camping trip? Wait. No! That was not going to happen! James would _not _let that happen!

As dusk fell, the temperature once again dropped significantly. And to make things worse(which James didn't think they could be) it started to rain. It rained! Why the hell was it raining? Wasn't their situation bad enough without being stuck out in the middle of nowhere in the near-freezing cold without it _raining_? James felt like he wanted to cry when it started raining. What higher power was doing this to them? Couldn't they have just a moment of peace? Just a moment?

James knew they couldn't continue on in this rain. The ground was soaked and slippery and his feet were constantly slipping and sliding. He found a tree with bushy, leaf-filled limbs that provided some slight shelter from the storm. As he settled against the tree, James shivered and pulled Carlos closer to him. Whatever body heat they had left they could share.

"J-James?" Carlos moaned, opening his eyes after having spent hours in unconsciousness.

"Yah, baby?" James asked.

"Wh-what's going on? Why is it so cold?" Carlos asked, shivering weakly.

"It's raining." James answered.

Carlos' eyes wandered around, just observing his surroundings. Mostly all he could see without having to turn his head was James and the bushy fir tree above them. He inhaled as deeply as he could the forest-like piney smell of the tree. It reminded him so much of playing in the woods as a kid in Minnesota. He remembered the time when he was about five years old he had wandered off into the woods and gotten lost. He was lost nearly all night. He remembered being so scared of the dark and curling up under a tree and crying. He remembered how he'd sat there for hours until he heard the distant sounds of people calling his name; his family and friends were looking for him. He had called out to them and one little boy had been the first to reach him, carrying a small black helmet. That little boy had been James. James had rescued him. James had held him for hours after that, refusing to leave him and they'd ended up spending the night together because James refused to leave until he knew Carlos was okay. And now, twelve years later, they were in basically the same situation.

"James." Carlos said.

"Yeah?" James asked.

"I love you."

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to update AGAIN. I really hope you like this! I know, it's shorter than the others, but I'll try to make the next one longer.** :D PLEASE R&R! :D **


	7. Undying Love

Hi, everyone! :) Here's kind of a turning point in the story. :)** PLEASE R&R! :D **

**Chapter 7: Undying Love**

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, James woke up. He didn't remember falling asleep. He felt so cold from the rain the previous night, that he shivered. The rough bark of the tree was digging uncomfortably into his back and the ground underneath him was squishy and muddy. He opened his eyes and the scene before him was rather peaceful, a stark contrast to their current situation. The sun had risen high in the morning sky, casting its warm rays through the trees. The sagging branches of the surrounding trees dripped continuously from the previous night's rain, the sunlight reflecting delicately off them as they fell from the branches to the ground.

James let his eyes drift down from the peaceful scene before him to his unconscious lover in his arms. Even though Carlos was unconscious, James could see him shivering. The sheet he was wrapped in was still wet, in various stages of drying. It clung to his trembling body, making him seem smaller and even more helpless. His skin was pale, just making his reddened wounds stand out even more. His breath came in small gasps and his lips were tinged with blue. Just by looking at him, you could tell he was silently crying out for help. Just to be relieved of his pain if only for a second.

"Don't worry, baby." James said, reaching up to gently stroke Carlos' damp hair, "We're gonna get out of here. Our camp can't be that far away now."

A small moan escaped Carlos' slightly-parted lips, but he didn't wake. While this worried James, he was glad Carlos could at least hear him and know he was still there. He would always be there. As much as he just wanted to sit here and rest, James knew they had to get moving and not waste precious time. Mustering all his strength, James held Carlos securely in his arms and stood. He felt a dull pain shoot through his arms. While Carlos wasn't very heavy, James had still been carrying him constantly for the better part of four days and his arms were so tired. Gritting his teeth, James tried his best to push the pain to the back of his mind and he walked forward. On the first step, his feet nearly slid out from under him because the ground was so slick with mud. He knew this was going to be an especially rough day.

And he was right. Just walking was now ten times more difficult from his constant slipping and sliding in the mud. It didn't take long for him to become frustrated and on the verge of tears. He was just so exhausted and cold and hungry and he felt his body weakening by the hour. He was having to exert more energy just to stay standing so he wouldn't fall flat on his face and his calves hurt him so bad. But through all this, the one thing that was foremost in his mind was getting Carlos to safety.

James didn't know how long he'd been walking when he heard a weak moan come from the cold bundle in his arms. He paused and looked down. Carlos was stirring slightly. He decided to take a break to rest his aching legs and to talk a little with Carlos while he was awake for a few brief, blessed moments. He seated himself underneath a tree as Carlos was opening his eyes.

"James..." he moaned, "...are we home yet?"

"No, not yet, baby." James said softly, stroking Carlos' hair.

"I'm cold." Carlos said, shivering and trying to pull the sheet tighter around him.

James held Carlos closer and gently rubbed his arm, trying to will at least some warmth back into his weak body.

"James...I'm scared." Carlos said weakly.

"I know, baby. Everything is gonna be okay." James tried to comfort him, "I've got you. It's gonna be okay."

Carlos seemed to be slightly comforted by James' soft words. He turned his head into James' hand, just wanting the contact, to know that he wasn't alone. His mind may have been clouded with pain, but the one thing he knew was that James was with him. If James wasn't with him, there was no way he would be able to get through this, both physically and emotionally.

"I wonder what Kendall and Logan are doing right now." he said weakly, trying something, anything, to get his mind off the throbbing intense pain throughout his body.

"They're probably sitting by the pool with Jo and Camille...having a nice, creamy ice cream cone." James said.

The thought of ice cream was so appealing right now. His stomach was completely empty and had been so for days. God, he was so hungry and weak. He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard a sniffling noise. He looked down at Carlos and saw that he was crying.

"What's wrong, baby?" James asked gently.

"W-we're gonna die out here, aren't we? We're gonna die and no one knows where we are." Carlos whimpered, "James, I'm so scared. I d-don't wanna die."

James looked in sympathy down on Carlos and he carefully wiped away his tears.

"I know you're scared, Carlos. I am, too. But we just have to be strong, okay? We're going to get out of here. Our camp can't be that far away now."

"James..." Carlos whimpered.

"Shhhh. Shhh." James whispered, "It's gonna be okay."

Carlos' cries were suddenly interrupted when he broke into a coughing fit. His asthma. He choked on his breath and coughed painfully. James held him gently and tried to sooth him. Though he knew all the soothing in the world wouldn't help him unless they could get to his inhaler, and soon.

"It's okay, baby. Just breathe. Breathe." James whispered repeatedly.

"C-can't." Carlos said weakly between coughs.

The coughing continued for a few more minutes before Carlos slipped into unconsciousness once again. This worried James greatly. He just _had _to get Carlos out of here! He forced his own weakness and discomfort to the back of his mind and stood to his shaky legs. He trudged forward, determination driving him. He walked and walked for hours though the slippery mud and cold air. He walked and walked until he came to a very steep hill. He knew this was going to be a great challenge to conquer. Taking a deep breath, he slowly began to traverse down the hill, holding onto thin trees and thick roots for leverage. It would have been hard enough climbing down alone, but James was carrying Carlos' limp body in his arms. He was about a fourth of the way down the hill when the root he was hanging onto suddenly snapped, sending them both tumbling down the hill. James saw the forest flying by as he fell. But it all came to a sudden, blurred stop when he felt a sharp pain in his head. He'd reached the bottom of the hill and hit his head hard on a rock.

Groaning in pain, he reached up to his head. His fingers came into contact with a warm liquid. He drew them away and saw his fingertips were stained red. His vision was continuously moving in and out of focus and it felt as if the world were spinning all around him. He glanced over to his left and saw Carlos laying motionless several feet away. That was the last thing he saw before he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

It was several hours later that James' body finally allowed him to wake up. As he slowly became aware of the world around him, he felt a hand in his and another gently stroking his hair. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head towards the gentle touch. He recognized that touch. Carlos.

He looked over and saw Carlos laying on his stomach beside him. He was conscious and stroking James' hair while holding his hand.

"Carlos?" James asked, not believing his eyes.

"I'm here, James." Carlos confirmed, "You hit your head pretty hard."

"It hurts." James said, feeling a sharp throbbing in his head.

His body was completely exhausted and he just couldn't bring himself to move. It was all too much.

"Carlos, how did you get over here?" James asked.

"I crawled." Carlos answered.

"You crawled." James stated, "Carlos I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?" Carlos asked softly.

"I need you to go. Just go. Try to crawl out of here. I know you can do it." James said, "Go. Just leave me here. I'll just slow you down."

Carlos couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What? No!" he said, "James, I'm not going to leave you like that!"

"Please, Carlos," James pleaded, "I don't want you to suffer out here."

"No, James. I'm not going to leave you." Carlos insisted, "I love you."

"I love you, too. That's why I want you to go." James said, feeling tears forming in his eyes, "Please."

"I'm not leaving you." Carlos said, also beginning to cry, "I love you."

James sniffled and just let the tears fall. He didn't care.

"We're gonna die out here." Carlos said, "But at least we can be together."

James gulped on a whimper and he nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Carlos." he said, "I'm so sorry I couldn't get us out of here."

For the longest time, they just lay there clinging to each other and crying. It seemed like all hope of ever seeing their friends, their family, again was lost...

**A/N: **Oooo! Cliffy! ;) Hehe! I'm good! **PLEASE R&R! :D **

**P.S. Sorry for another short chappy, but I promise the next one will be longer! :)**


	8. Undying Strength

Hehe, sorry for the cliffy in the previous chapter. :) But you know you love it. ;)

**Chapter 8: Undying Strength**

The pounding in his head was excruciating. It was more intense than any pain he'd ever felt before. It was all he could do to keep from screaming. Gritting his teeth, James opened his eyes. The pain only intensified when he was met by the blinding sunlight above. He instantly shut his eyes and tried to will the pain away. He turned his head to the side and opened his eyes again so he wasn't looking right into the sun. This was better. He waited a few minutes for the pain in his head to lessen and he tried to take stock of his surroundings. He was still in the same spot he'd fallen unconscious in: laying at the bottom of the steep hill. The ground beneath him was cold and wet, making him shiver. He no longer felt the comforting hand stroking his hair. But he did feel an unmoving hand in his. He looked over and his heart fell. There lay Carlos, unmoving and pale as the sheet he was wrapped in.

"Oh, no..." James whispered, "Please, no..."

With a trembling hand, James reached over and ran his fingers through Carlos' hair. He didn't react in the slightest to the touch. His eyes welling up with tears, James pressed his trembling fingers to the side of Carlos' neck. His heart lept when he felt a weak pulse beating beneath his fingers. Carlos was still alive! James felt a burst of hope. He didn't know why, but he glanced over down a second hill a few feet away and he saw...could it be? He saw a spot of neon orange through the trees. Their tent! It was their tent! Their camp was in sight; barely a hundred yards away. James just _knew _they could make it! He knew it. He felt a surge of confidence and the pain in his head all but went away. Must be the adrenalin.

He mustered all his strength and he sat up. He crawled a couple of feet over to Carlos and turned him gently over onto his back. He re-wrapped the sheet around him and lifted him into his arms as he stood.

"Come on, Carlos. We're getting out of here." he said, turning and trudging forward.

The ground was still a little slippery, but it was much easier to walk than yesterday. He traversed his way down the hill and he found himself a few mere yards away from the tent. They were home-free. He broke into a run and suddenly felt the ground underneath his bare feet change. Instead of the squishy forest floor, he was running on the smooth rocks of the lake shore. He rushed over to the tent and found everything just the way they'd left it almost a week ago. Thank God!

He unzipped the door of the tent and wasted no time in gently laying Carlos down on the two-person sleeping bag. He could finally care for Carlos and tend to his wounds. He forced himself to calm down so he could think straight. He unwrapped the bloody sheet from Carlos' body and wadded it up and laid it aside. He had to close his eyes briefly against the sight before him. Carlos' small body was covered in dried blood and bruises in various stages of healing. The stab wound to his abdomen stood out starkly against his pale skin. It looked so painful. James forced his eyes open and reached for the First Aid kit in the corner. He got a bottle of clean water out of the cooler and set to work. He tore a large piece off the sheet and soaked it in water. He used this to gently clean away the dried blood that covered Carlos' frail body. He made sure he was especially gentle around Carlos' wounds; he didn't want to cause him anymore pain than was necessary.

After the dried blood was all cleaned away, James took an alcohol swab out of the First Aid kit and gently wiped it over Carlos' wounds. He was glad Carlos was unconscious so he wouldn't have to experience the pain of this. Once the wounds were clean, he took a thick roll of bandages from out of the First Aid kit and wrapped them securely around Carlos' abdomen. It was far from professional work, but it was the best he could do. Now that Carlos was all clean and bandaged, James reached over to his backpack and took a clean pair of boxerbriefs out of the front pocket. He carefully slid them onto Carlos so he wouldn't have to lay there naked. As he slid them up his legs, his eyes fell upon the bruises to his thighs and between his legs. Painful memories of seeing Carlos raped flooded back and he had to close his eyes briefly against the sight.

After putting the boxerbriefs on Carlos, James gently wrapped him in a couple thick blankets and nestled him gently inside the warm sleeping bag. Now he was safe and warm. Only now that Carlos was all cleaned, bandaged, and cozy did James decide to tend to himself. He carefully cleaned his head wound. Since it wasn't especially serious, he decided not to put a bandage on it. He then took another bottle of water out of the cooler drank the whole thing in less than a minute. This sufficiently quenched his thirst. He would have fixed himself a sandwich, but exhaustion was beginning to get the best of him. The sandwich could wait a while. Besides, he wanted to wait until Carlos woke up so they could eat together. He changed out of his damp swim trunks and into a warm pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and his hoodie. After he was dressed, he snuggled down into the big sleeping bag next to Carlos. He gently pulled Carlos into his arms so they could share body heat. It didn't take but a few seconds for him to fall into a blissful sleep. The most comfortable, restful sleep he'd had in so long...

* * *

The two of them slept there together almost all day. Their bodies were completely exhausted and the warmth of the blankets and sleeping bag was like heaven for them. As dusk was nearing, James awoke feeling more rested and warm than he'd been in almost a week. He was encompassed in warmth and softness. He opened his eyes and saw Carlos laying beside him...awake.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Carlos said softly.

While James was glad Carlos was awake, he sensed that something was wrong. Carlos' eyes were reddened and bloodshot; he had been crying.

"Are you okay, baby?" James asked in concern.

Carlos sniffled.

"I'm fine." he said.

"No, you're not. You've been crying. What's wrong?" James asked, leaning up on one elbow.

"I-I, um..." Carlos started, looking down, "I had a bad dream."

"A flashback?" James asked, fearing the answer.

His fears were confirmed when Carlos nodded.

"Oh, baby..." James said.

Carlos broke down into tears. He had been keeping everything at bay for almost a week and now he couldn't anymore. Everything had hit him all at once and he came back to reality. The reality of being raped finally sank in and it was almost more than he could bear. James instantly enveloped him in his arms and held him close.

"It's okay. It's okay; I've got you. I'm here." James whispered.

Carlos buried his face into James' chest and just cried. He didn't care who saw him; he just cried. He'd been holding it back for five days and now he couldn't hold it anymore.

"I just want to crawl into a hole and never come out." he cried, "I feel so dirty."

"You're not dirty, Carlos. You were violated; it wasn't your fault." James comforted.

"Why did this have to happen?" Carlos whimpered.

"No one knows why this ever happens. No one deserves this." James said.

"Am I ever going to be okay again?" Carlos asked through his tears.

"You will." James said, "I know you can get through this. I'll be here for you every step of the way, no matter what."

Carlos continued to cry into James' chest for several more minutes. His cries soon lead into another coughing fit and he gasped for breath. Then, James remembered: his inhaler! Acting quickly, James reached over into Carlos' backpack and retrieved his inhaler.

"Here. Breathe." he said, holding the inhaler in front o Carlos' face.

Carlos took it and inhaled deeply the icy-feeling medication. This greatly helped him and he was finally able to breathe easier. James knew they had to get help, and soon. He reached over again, but this time, he took his cell phone out of his own backpack.

"I'll be right back." he said, sitting up.

"Where are you going?" Carlos asked as James stood.

"I'm gonna walk around and see if I can get a signal on my phone so I can call Kendall for help." James explained, stepping around Carlos so he could unzip the tent door.

"Don't go too far, please." Carlos said pitifully.

"I won't." James said, stepping out of the tent.

He closed the tent door and proceeded to walk around for a few minutes until he got a signal on his phone. He was several feet away from the tent down the beach. He quickly dialed Kendall's number. The phone rang three times before it was answered.

_"Hello?"_ he heard Kendall said.

"Kendall? It's me." James said.

_"James?" _Kendall asked.

"Yeah. Kendall we need help." James said.

_"Help? What's wrong?" _Kendall asked.

"Something happened. Th-these two guys kidnapped Carlos and me. They hurt Carlos. Please, Kendall, you have to send help. He's hurt." James explained, on the verge of tears.

_"O-oh, my God."_ Kendall said in shock, _"O-okay. Don't worry, James. I'll call 911 for you. We'll be there as soon as we can. I promise." _

"Thank you. Please hurry." James said, "Please, Kendall. He's hurt so bad."

_"I will. Don't worry." _Kendall said, _"Bye." _

"Bye." James said, hanging up his phone.

Wiping away the few tears that managed to fall, James walked back over to the tent and stepped inside. As he stepped around Carlos to his own empty spot beside him, he saw that Carlos had fallen asleep. James put his cell phone back in his backpack and lay back down beside Carlos, pulling him gently into his arms and he just held him.

"You're going to be okay, Carlos." he said, "Help is coming."

* * *

It was the middle of the night before Carlos woke up again. He opened his eyes and found that he was resting safely in James' arms. He felt so safe here. He saw James smiling tenderly down at him.

"Hey." he said softly, "How you feeling?"

"Not much better." Carlos said.

"I'm sorry." James said, lightly stroking his hair, "You hungry?"

Carlos nodded; he was starving.

"How does a sandwich sound?" James asked.

"Anything sounds good at the moment." Carlos said.

James smiled and sat up. He opened the closed door of the tent and riffled through the cooler until he found the sandwich makings. He quickly made them each a sandwich with their favorite 'fillings'. After putting everything back in the cooler, he closed the tent door and walked over to sit beside Carlos again. He handed Carlos his sandwich and took a bite of his own. The sandwich tasted like heaven in James' mouth. It had been five or six days since he'd tasted anything. Carlos took a small bite of his and he felt the same.

"This is so good." he said, swallowing his bite.

James nodded in agreement. They finished their sandwiches in silence. Carlos was only able to finish half of his before he felt his stomach starting to rebel. He set his sandwich aside and snuggled down into his covers. James felt guilty for being able to enjoy his sandwich while Carlos couldn't, so he didn't finish his either. He placed both sandwich halves in the cooler and lay down beside Carlos. They cuddled together, partly to stay warm.

"You okay?" James asked, noticing Carlos seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"My stomach hurts a little." he said, laying his head on James' shoulder.

"It'll be okay." James said, gently rubbing Carlos' back.

The gentle massage to his back slowly lulled Carlos into a deep sleep. James placed a light kiss to his forehead and soon joined him in the world of sleep.

**A/N: **Wow. That was a quick update! :D I really hope you like it! **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	9. Rescued

Hi, everyone! *waves at computer screen* LOL! :D I am so sorry it has taken so long to update! I've been working on some other stories, talking to friends, working on new ideas for some **new stories**, and I've just been kinda busy. But, I'm back now and here's the new chappy! **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**

**Chapter 9: Rescued**

It was early the next morning before James woke up again. He was aware of feeling kind of chilly, but he felt a warmth next to him. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Carlos laying beside him. He was awake and he looked as if he were thinking deeply. He had his covers pulled tightly around his small body, cocooning himself in warmth and relative protection. He didn't seem to notice when James opened his eyes and was looking at him. For a few minutes, James just watched him, not wanting to disturb him. But when Carlos didn't seem to notice him watching him after that several minutes, it sort of worried James.

"Carlos." he said softly, reaching out to place a gentle hand to Carlos' shoulder.

At the touch, Carlos' eyes shifted their focus to James' face.

"Hi." he simply said, giving the smallest of smiles.

"You okay?" James asked softly.

"Yeah. I was just thinking." Carlos answered.

"Can I ask what about?" James asked.

"Nothing much. Just thinking." Carlos shrugged.

"Are you feeling any better today?" James asked.

"Not really." Carlos said, "It still hurts to breath and it's not as easy as it was."

"Do you need your inhaler?" James asked, concerned.

"I don't think so." Carlos said, coughing a little.

There was a short silence as James just looked at him, concerned. Then, he remembered: he needed to check Carlos' wounds. He shifted underneath the covers and sat up.

"What are you doing?" Carlos asked.

"I need to change your bandages. Is that okay?" James said.

Carlos nodded and shifted so he was laying on his back. James reached over in the corner and retrieved the First Aid kit. He then turned back to Carlos and gently pulled the covers down so they were only covering his legs. He saw a small red spot on the bandages right where the stab wound was. Carlos had been bleeding some more. James quickly but carefully cut the bandages and slowly pulled them off. Carlos gasped in pain as the bandages were removed, as they had stuck to his wound slightly.

"Sorry." James said sympathetically as he set the bandages aside.

The wound was red and inflamed and looked so painful. James winced as he looked at the wound, imagining how painful it must be. He wished more than anything that he could take Carlos' place so he wouldn't be in pain, both physically and emotionally. He reached into the First Aid kit and got an alcohol swab and the roll of bandages. He opened the swab.

"This may sting a little." he warned.

The second the swab came into contact with the wound, Carlos cried out in pain and his hands shot to move the foreign thing from his wound.

"Please don't do that again." Carlos sniffled, covering the wound with his hands.

"It's okay. I'm sorry." James reassured him, "I won't touch it again."

It was against his better judgement not to clean the wound, but he didn't want to cause Carlos anymore pain. He set the swab aside and picked up the roll of bandages. He gently coaxed Carlos' hands away from the wound and he very gently re-wrapped Carlos' abdomen.

"Can you feel your legs any at all?" he asked as he layered the bandages thickly.

"No." Carlos sniffled, "I can't move them."

As James secured the bandages and set them aside, he turned back to Carlos and saw that he was crying.

"What's wrong, baby?" James asked in concern, scooting up so he was sitting beside Carlos' head.

"I'm s-scared, James." Carlos cried, "Wh-what if I'm n-never able to w-walk again?"

"Don't think about that baby." James said, gently stroking Carlos' hair, "It's going to be okay. We're going to get through this together. Everything's going to be fine."

"Y-you don't know that." Carlos sniffled.

James didn't know what to say. He felt completely helpless. Carlos was breaking down right in front of him and there was nothing he could do to help him. He couldn't help but think; what _would _happen if Carlos was never able to walk again? That would be just terrible. Carlos would be absolutely shattered. He would never be able to do all the things that meant so much to him. He wouldn't be able to run and play with he and Kendall and Logan. He wouldn't be able to go swimming. He wouldn't be able to dance. Oh, the dancing. Carlos loved to dance. He always looked so happy and free when he was dancing. What if that was taken away from him?

All James could do was reach out and cradle Carlos gently in his arms. He held him and rocked him gently, whispering comforts to him and stroking his hair. Carlos snuggled into James' arms and lay his head against his abdomen. He always felt safe and loved in James' arms. It was the only place he had to feel safe right now.

"It's gonna be okay, baby." James whispered.

* * *

The rest of the day passed with not much change. Near the middle of the day, James and Carlos finished their sandwich halves they'd set aside the previous day. And again, the sandwich irritated Carlos' stomach and he was barely able to finish it. Even just drinking a sip of water made his stomach hurt. As the evening dragged on, James noticed that Carlos' breathing was becoming more and more troubled. When he reached to get Carlos' inhaler, it was empty and despite desperate searching, James couldn't find a refill in Carlos' backpack. This was bad. Carlos could barely breath and he had no refills for his inhaler. All James could do was hold him and instruct him to try and take deep breaths, which was becoming impossible. Night was falling and Carlos was getting worse. His face was pale and his lips were beginning to take on a blue tinge. James sat behind him, cradling his head in his lap, stroking his hair gently. James was so scared. Carlos was suffocating in his arms and he couldn't do anything to help him. Every cough, every wheeze, every cry shot its way right to his heart. It hurt him so much to see his precious Carlos in this condition. He feared that Carlos wasn't going to make it. He tried to push that thought to the back of his mind, but it was still there. He had to let Carlos know that he loved him. He had to let him know why he'd suggested that they come on this camping trip.

"You know something Carlos?" James said, on the verge of tears.

"Wh-what?" Carlos asked thought his gasps for air.

"You wanna know why I wanted us to come out here?" James asked.

"Why?" Carlos asked.

"I wanted to ask you-" James started, but never finished.

He was interrupted by a sudden noise. It sounded like a dog barking off in the distance. He reached over and unzipped the closed tent door and peered out into the darkness. His eyes scanned the nearby forest and something caught his attention. Off in the distance a good ways up the hill, he saw lights. Several small lights moved about the hillside, moving between the trees and about the brush. The sounds of the dogs barking were louder and he thought he heard people yelling. He listened closely and he could just barely make out what they were saying.

_"James and Carlos! Hello? Is anyone there?" _

This was being repeated over and over. Then it clicked: the rescuers!

"Carlos, do you hear that?" James said.

Carlos coughed, "Wh-what?"

"They're coming to rescue us! We're getting out of here!" James said, smiling with excitement.

Carlos managed to muster a weak smile before he slipped into unconsciousness. James had to let the people know where they were! He carefully lay Carlos down and maneuvered himself out of the tent. He walked a few feet away and started yelling.

"HEY! WE'RE DOWN HERE! HELP!" he yelled over and over, waving his arms wildly.

This must have gotten the people's attention because not long after he yelled, the lights stopped moving then resumed moving, only this time they were moving faster and in their direction. Within a minute, at least ten people dressed in orange and yellow reflective clothing poured out of the woods. Some of them were carrying red bags with a white cross on the side, two were carrying orange back-boards, and some were leading bloodhounds and German shepherds on leases. The rescue team. James sighed with relief and almost cried with joy when he saw them. The people rushed over to him. One of them(the one James guessed to be the leader) reached him first.

"Are James, the boy we've been looking for?" the man asked, holding James gently by the shoulders.

"Yes." James nodded, "Please, you have to help Carlos. He's hurt."

"Don't worry, son, we're going to get you and your friend out of here." the man reassured him.

Within seconds, there were several paramedics gathered around Carlos, who was unconscious in the tent. While they busily tended to him, James was approached by two other paramedics.

"We need to take a look at you, son." one of them said kindly.

"Not now, just please help Carlos." James insisted; his small head wound could wait, Carlos was possibly dying.

"Just let me take a look at your head." one of them said, trying to coax James over to sit down on one of the short logs beside the makeshift fire-ring.

James sighed from exhaustion and frustration and sat down.

"Base, we've found the boys. We'll be heading out soon. Have the ambulances ready." he heard the leader of the group say into a walkie-talkie.

As the paramedic tended to his miniscule head wound, James glanced over and saw Carlos through the croud of people around him. He had been fitted with an oxygen mask and he was deathly pale. At least he was alive. The people were hurriedly wrapping him in thermal blankets and strapping him securely to the orange back-board.

"There we go." the paramedic said as he placed a small adhesive bandage to the wound on James' head.

"Are you okay to walk?" the leader of the group asked, walking over to him.

"Yeah." James said, standing.

"Come on." the man said, coaxing James gently forward, "We're getting you both out of here. It's gonna be okay."

As they started to walk away, the other paramedics carrying Carlos between them on the back-board, James suddenly remembered: they were leaving Carlos' helmet behind! Carlos would no-doubt be needing his helmet when he woke up. He always wore his helmet when he was upset or needed to feel safe. It was sort of like his security blanket.

"Wait!" James said, turning around.

The leader of the group held him in place, not knowing what James was doing.

"What is it?" the man asked.

"His helmet! We can't leave Carlos' helmet behind!" James insisted.

"It's okay, son. It's okay. We're not leaving anything." the man said.

He turned to the paramedic standing beside him, "Will you get their backpacks and bring them along?"

The paramedic nodded and walked back to the tent, retrieving the two backpacks. Satisfied, James turned and walked with them into the woods. They soon found the trail and followed it the mile back to the parking lot. By the time they reached the parking lot, James was tired and his legs hurt. He just wanted to lay down and sleep. They stepped out of the woods and into the parking lot. James looked up and saw two ambulances, a few police cars, and a silver SUV parked a few feet away. He recognized the SUV to be the one belonging to Mrs. Knight. They were here? As they neared the vehicles, he saw Kendall and Logan sitting in the open back of the SUV, the interior light on. They looked very worried and were talking amongst themselves. They looked up and immediately stood when they saw the rescue team approaching. When they saw James, they rushed over and enveloped him in a group hug.

"Oh, man, we've been so worried!" Logan said.

"Are you okay?" Kendall asked, "What happened?"

"I'm fine." James said, hugging them back.

When they drew away, Kendall and Logan saw the group of paramedics walk by, carrying Carlos' unconscious form between them. They stared, wide-eyed as they passed them, walking over to the ambulance.

"What happened?" Logan asked, turning back to James.

"I'l tell you later." James said, walking past them, lead by the paramedic over to the vacant ambulance.

He seated himself in the open ambulance door and the paramedic climbed in behind him. He placed a thermal blanket over James' shoulders, wrapping it around him.

"I'm going to put an IV in your hand; you're probably dehydrated." the paramedic said.

James just sat there, looking blindly out over the parking lot as the paramedic administered the IV. It hurt, but he barely noticed. A couple minutes later, Kendall and Logan walked over and sat down on either side of him, Logan on his right; Kendall on his left. For a few seconds, they just sat there in silence.

"James," Kendall said softly, "What happened out there?"

James gulped and sniffled slightly.

"They raped him." he whispered, almost inaudible.

"What?" Kendall asked, not quite hearing him.

"Th-they raped him." James said a little louder, not taking his eyes off the ground.

Kendall and Logan just stared at him in shock.

"They r-raped him." James repeated, "They held him down and hurt him...he was screaming and crying and begging for help...and there was...there was nothing I could do."

James pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them, crying. Kendall and Logan both placed a comforting hand to his back, rubbing it gently. They rarely saw James cry. It took alot to make James cry. He was always viewed as the strong one of the group.

"It's okay. We're here for you both." Logan said comfortingly.

They were interrupted when the paramedic tapped James on the shoulder.

"We have to go to the hospital now." he said gently.

James sniffled and wiped his eyes and nodded. Kendall and Logan both stood and helped him step up into the ambulance.

"We'll see you at the hospital." Kendall said reassuringly.

James nodded and sat down on the gurney in the middle of the ambulance. The paramedic closed the door and turned back to James.

"Just lay back and relax." he said, "You're okay now."

James lay back, fixing the blanket so it covered his cold body. He was dimly aware as the engine to the ambulance roared to life and they began moving. He was sort of lulled by the soft rumbling of the engine and he soon found himself falling into the world of sleep.

**A/N: **Well, there it is! :D Again, I am so sorry it took so long to update! **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	10. At the Hospital

Thank you, everyone for the awesome reviews! :D It really means alot to have such great support. THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE! :D *lots and lots of huggles to all of you* :D And I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry for taking sooooooooooo long to update! I've been busy with other stories, friends & family, and stuff. Plus, I've just been having a complete writer's block for this story, which I HATE! CURSE YOU, WRITER'S BLOCK! . But anyway, I'm back now and ready to continue updating! :D YAY! :D **PLEASE R&R! :D **

**Chapter 10: At the Hospital**

The first thing James became aware of was the feeling of being so comfortable. As he slowly became more aware, he felt that he was laying on a soft bed and there were warm blankets covering him. He felt clean and fresh. He felt a gentle hand brush through his hair comfortingly. He felt another hand slide into his and squeeze it gently.

_"James?" _he heard a voice say.

The voice was so familiar, yet it seemed so far away. He knew that voice so well, but his mind just couldn't seem to place it. Who was this comforting presence?

_"James, can you hear me?" _

There it was again. Who was this? James concentrated so hard on trying to remember who this was, it was almost exhausting.

_"James, it's time to wake up." _

Then it hit him. Kendall! James forced his eyes open and looked around. He was in a hospital room. Everything was white. Then, suddenly the form of a person appeared in his vision. He focused his eyes and saw that it was Kendall. He had an understanding/sympathetic look on his face. It was so comforting.

"K-Kendall?" James asked, his voice scratchy and strained from not having anything to drink in a while.

"Yeah, it's me." Kendall reassured him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, "How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty." James said, swallowing what little moisture was left in his mouth.

"Here." Kendall said, reaching over to the nightstand.

James soon felt the end of a straw pressing against his lips. He opened them and took a sip. It was Dr. Pepper(one of his favorite drinks). He drank several more sips before his thirst was quenched.

"Where's Carlos?" James asked as Kendall set the cup back on the nightstand, "Is he okay?"

"He's in the next room. Logan's with him." Kendall said, "The doctors had to do surgery on him."

"S-surgery?" James asked in fear.

"Yeah." Kendall said softly, "They said he was bleeding inside and they had to fix it. And they had to do surgery on his back where he was stabbed."

"H-how is he?" James asked in worry.

"He's okay at the minute." Kendall said, "You wanna go see him?"

"Yes, please." James said.

He sat up and Kendall helped him out of his hospital gown and into his jeans and a t-shirt, which Mrs. Knight had washed and brought over for him. Once he was dressed, they exited the room and walked a short distance down the hall to Carlos' room. Kendall knocked on the door and received an answer of 'come in' from Logan. He opened the door and the two of them stepped in. The room was a nice size, containing two chairs(one on each side of the bed), two nightstands(also, one on either side of the bed), and a couch on the wall facing the foot of the bed. Logan was seated in the chair beside the bed closest to the door. He stood when Kendall and James both entered.

"Hey, James." He said, "How you feeling?"

"Fine." James said, walking over, his eyes glued to the still form on the bed.

James stepped over beside the bed and looked at Carlos' small form. He was unconscious from the anesthesia and his chest rose and fell slowly. His face had most of its color back, and his lips were restored to their normal pinkish appearance. But his once perfect skin was still marked by healing scrapes and red scratches. He looked so small and hurt laying there. But there was a strange peace about his face that told James that they were okay now.

"Has he said anything?" James asked, not taking his eyes off Carlos' still face.

"He's asked for you a couple times." Logan said.

There was a short silence before Logan said, "We'll give you two some privacy." And with that, he and Kendall walked out of the room, leaving them alone. When he heard the door click shut, he stepped over to the edge of the bed and slid his hand gently into Carlos'.

"Carlos?" he asked softly, "Baby, can you hear me?"

Carlos didn't stir in the slightest. This kind of worried James. While James was worried about Carlos not waking, at the same time he was happy that he was still under the influence of the anesthesia so he wasn't in pain. He never wanted him to be in pain. But he knew he would whenever he woke up.

"It's gonna be okay." James whispered, "I'm here."

At this, James saw Carlos stir a little bit.

"Baby? Can you hear me?" he asked hopefully.

After struggling considerably, Carlos was able to peep his eyes open and look at his lover hovering over him.

"J-James?" he asked, barely a whisper.

"I'm here." James reassured him, giving his hand a comforting squeeze.

Carlos forced his eyes open a little more and looked around the room, seeming confused.

"You're in the hospital." James said, answering the question Carlos was more than likely thinking, "The doctors had to do surgery on you."

Carlos seemed more confused by this, and he settled his head back against his pillow, seeming to be thinking about something. A moment later, he looked as if he were about to cry.

"I can't..." he squeaked.

"What's the matter, Carlos?" James asked both in worry and in sympathy.

Carlos sniffled and finished.

"I can't feel anything." he sniffled.

James had to close his eyes briefly against this. Had the surgery not worked? Was Carlos really paralyzed? Oh, please don't let this be happening!

"It's gonna be okay." James tried to comfort him, "I'm sure the feeling will come back soon."

But he didn't know whether or not he was telling Carlos the truth. Everything came crashing down upon Carlos all at once and it was almost overwhelming. How could all this be happening? This had to be some sort of horrible nightmare that he just had to wake up from. But he was quickly reminded that this wasn't a dream when he felt a sharp pain in bot his abdomen and his back from where the surgeries had been performed.

"James..." he cried, hot tears falling down his cheeks.

"Shhhh." James cooed, reaching out to gently stroke Carlos' raven hair, "If you cry, you might have trouble breathing again."

Carlos sniffled and tried to control his tears. He seemed slightly comforted when James reached out and tenderly wiped away his tears. After a few minutes, his tears subsided.

"Can I get you anything? Are you thirsty?" James asked.

Carlos nodded, "I'm thirsty."

James reached over and picked up the bottle of water on the table beside the bed and took off the cap, placing it at Carlos' lips. He slowly tilted the bottle up and let a small trickle of the water enter Carlos' mouth. Carlos took several sips of the water before his thirst was quenched, and James set the bottle aside.

"What's gonna happen to me?" Carlos asked, breaking James' heart with the look of fear and innocence on his face.

"I don't know, baby." James said, running a hand through Carlos' hair,

"I don't know."

**A/N: **Well, there it is! Again I am soooooooooo sorry for taking so long to update! And I'm sorry for posting such a short chapter, but I wanted to update _something _to get this story moving again. Anyway, I really hope you like it! **PLEASE R&R! :D**


	11. Healing

**Hi, all those people who have reviewed and loved this story! I just want to say that I am sorry that it has taken me soooo long to update! I've gotten into an updating slump lately and I just HATE it! But believe me, I'm doing my best to work on it! PLEASE R&R! :D**

**Chapter 11: Healing **

By the next morning, Carlos was much more awake and alert. He was still drowsy from the anesthesia, but he was awake and talking. James, who hadn't left his side once since he'd entered the room, was relieved by this. Although Carlos tried to pretend that he was okay, James could tell that he was deeply bothered by something. He wanted to ask about it, but at the same time, he didn't want to upset Carlos by talking about whatever it was that was bothering him, so he just left it alone for now. Later on that morning was when the doctor came in to check on Carlos.

"Hello, Carlos, I'm Dr. Ericson." the doctor greeted as he entered the room, "I'm the one who performed your surgery, and I just wanted to drop in and check on you. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Tired." Carlos replied drowsily.

"Well, that's to be expected." the doctor said, "How's your pain?"

"It's not too bad." Carlos said.

"Good." the doctor said, "Now, I'm just going to do a quick test to see how your spinal cord is healing."

He took an ink pen out of his pocket and stood at the foot of Carlos' bed and lifted the blanket up just enough so he could see Carlos' unmoving legs. He lightly ran the end of the ink pen along the length of Carlos' lower-leg.

"Can you feel this?" he asked.

Carlos concentrated for a second, but James saw his expression fall when he answered.

"No." Carlos replied, sounding almost like he wanted to cry.

The doctor nodded and folded the blanket back down.

"I understand that you're discouraged, but try to stay optimistic; there's still a chance that the feeling and movement will return. It just may take a little time because of the swelling around your spinal cord at the moment." the doctor explained.

Carlos nodded.

"How long do you think it'll be before the swelling goes down?" James asked.

"It's hard to say; maybe a couple days to a week." the doctor replied, "Until then, just try to stay optimistic and we'll do everything we can."

Carlos nodded and the doctor walked out of the room.

"You okay?" James asked, noticing that Carlos was looking sad.

Carlos just shrugged. James knew that there were a variety of things that were probably bothering Carlos. So, he seated himself on the edge of the bed so they could talk.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked gently.

Carlos cast his eyes downward and sighed.

"How did this happen?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"How did a romantic camping trip turn into all this?" Carlos said.

James wished he had the answer to Carlos' questions, but all he could say was, "I don't know" and to comfort him as best he could. He wished none of this had happened. He wished things had gone the way he'd planned and he and Carlos could have had a nice, peaceful get-away. He had to ask himself the same question; why had this happened?

"Will we ever be the same again?" Carlos asked, breaking him out of his thoughts, "Will we ever be able to kiss and touch and take walks together like we always used to?"

That was one question James did have the answer to.

"Yes." he said, "Yes, Carlos, we will. I know we're gonna get through this."

"It just seems so hard to try and pick up the pieces and start all over." Carlos said, clearly trying to fight back tears once again.

James reached out and gently held Carlos' hand.

"It's gonna be okay." he whispered, "I'm here."

"I want to be able to love you the way I should." Carlos said.

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"Like before. We could kiss and fool around between rehearsals and make love nearly every night, and now, everytime I close my eyes, all I can see is that guy raping me." Carlos explained, his voice shaking from trying to fight back tears.

"Oh, baby..." James said, "...please don't worry about that. You just need time. And I'm more than willing to give you that. Until you're sure you're ready, the physical side of our relationship is put aside."

Carlos half-heartedly smiled.

"That makes me feel a little better." he said.

James smiled and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. Just then, there was another knock at the door and Kendall and Logan walked in. They were each holding a paper cup, and Kendall had a plastic sack hanging from his arm.

"Hey. How's our patient doing this morning?" Logan asked, trying to brighten the mood.

"I'm a little better." Carlos said, giving a small smile.

"Whatcha got there?" James asked, motioning to the plastic sack that Kendall had.

"We went down to the cafeteria and got you both something for breakfast." Kendall answered, walking over and handing James the sack.

"Thanks." James smiled, peeking in the sack, "Oh, look, Carlos; they got you a bacon cheeseburger!"

"That sounds so good right about now." Carlos said, making everyone smile.

James took the thick sandwich out of the sack and unwrapped it and handed it to Carlos. He couldn't help but smile as Carlos picked up the burger and took a big bite. Finally, if only for a minute, things seemed like they were back to normal.

**A/N: **I know it's a short chapter, but I've had this sitting in a folder on my flash drive for a while and this un-updated fic and all those who love it have been nagging on my mind lately, so here's the newest chapter! And I promise to do a better job with updating my multi-chapter fics! :D


	12. Special

Hi, everyone! I'm back! I REALLY hope you like this new chapter because I worked really hard on it, and I love the way it turned out! **PLEASE R&R! :D **

**Chapter 12: Special **

Carlos was in the hospital for another week until the doctor deemed the swelling around his spinal cord dissipated enough….however, there was still no feeling in his legs, and he couldn't move them even the slightest bit. Everyone, including the doctor, tried to stay optimistic, but it did nothing to lift Carlos' spirits. The reality was beginning to sink in: there was a very good chance that he would never walk again.

When he was released from the hospital, he was in a wheelchair, and he was fighting to keep from crying as James wheeled him out the door and into the parking deck where Mrs. Knight's red SUV was parked. He almost lost it when James had to pick him up and place him in the car. It was even worse when they got back to the Palmwoods. The lobby was moderately crowded, as always, and Carlos felt humiliated when he had to wheel across in front of everyone. He felt like every eye in the room was on him, picking him apart and judging him for what they saw on the outside. He just wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out. He spent most of the rest of that day laying under the covers in his and James' room, crying off and on and trying to force his numb legs to move or twitch or do _something_ to give him a spark of hope. But nothing happened, and he would just cry again.

The next morning, the real challenge began: dealing with daily life while being paralyzed. Carlos felt even worse than he had the day before. He soon found that everyone had to help him with almost everything. At breakfast, he couldn't reach his favorite cereal from the upper cabinet, so Mrs. Knight had to hand it to him. She also had to wheel him over to the table because he couldn't wheel himself and hold his bowl at the same time. His only salvation was that his wheelchair actually fit in the kitchen. The sense of helplessness continued when James had to help him out of his wheelchair and into the sturdy, white plastic chair that Mrs. Knight had purchased at the hospital the day before and placed in the shower for him. James even had to help him in and out of his clothes, but Carlos could still wash himself off in the shower.

Later on, he tried to play some video games to pass the time, but he couldn't seem to concentrate, and his character kept getting killed by the bad guys. Sighing in frustration, he tossed the wireless controller onto the bed, and scooted over to turn the game system off. Just as he did that, the door to the bedroom cracked open, and James poked his head in.

"Hey, babe, Kendall and Logan are heading to the park, and they wanted to know if we wanted to go with them." he explained.

Carlos inwardly sighed; the last thing he wanted to do was wheel around the park with more people staring at him.

"You go ahead; I don't really feel like it." he answered.

"You sure? I mean, the fresh air might help you feel better." James said.

"I'm sure. I just kinda want to be alone right now." Carlos answered.

James would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about his boyfriend. He could tell that Carlos was bothered and upset about his whole situation. He wished more than anything that he could do something to help, but at the same time, he didn't want to press the matter further and end up upsetting Carlos more. The raven-haired boy had always been somewhat sensitive, and there was no telling how on-edge he was after everything that had happened.

"Okay. If you need me for anything, just call me; I've got my phone with me all the time." James replied.

He waited for Carlos' small nod, and he made sure to tell him 'I love you' before he left the room. Not a minute later, Carlos heard the front door open and close, and he was left in silence. It didn't bother him that his friends were headed to the park; he really did want to be alone right now both to do some thinking and so he wouldn't feel like a nuisance to everyone.

As he sat there, his thoughts drifted to the situation he was in, and his mind was filled with questions. What would happen if he really was paralyzed and he could never walk again? He knew he wouldn't be able to dance ever again, which tore him up inside. He absolutely loved to dance with his band mates both on-stage and in the studio. He got such a feeling of accomplishment whenever he mastered whatever new dance routine Gustavo threw at them. There would be no more dancing, no more swimming, no more taking walks in the park with James. His heart wrenched when he thought about that last one. He so loved the walks he and James would take sometimes, holding hands proudly in front of the whole world. Then, there was the fact that if he couldn't dance, then he couldn't perform on-stage. Would Gustavo or Griffin drop Big Time Rush from the record label? If that happened, he felt like it would be all his fault, and he would letting his best friends and their fans down.

Not wanting to get all emotional for what seemed like the millionth time since he was released from the hospital, he shook those thoughts from his mind, and reached down to wheel himself around the end of the bed and out of the room. He made his way down the hall to the living room where he saw Mrs. Knight tidying up in the kitchen.

"Oh, hi, sweetie. How you feeling? Do you need anything?" Mrs. Knight asked, her motherly instinct more than evident.

"No, I'm good. Thanks anyway." Carlos answered, pausing briefly before maneuvering across the room over to the window.

Mrs. Knight had let the blinds up, so there was a clear and perfect view of the busy pool area below. Usually, the pool area was a happy and relaxing sight for him, but not today; today it was a painful reminder of the fact that he was in a wheelchair. He missed being able to walk down there and swim and mingle with his friends, and just have fun. How could he ever have fun again if he couldn't walk? When he finally worked up to courage to go back down there, how would people look at him? Would they still see him as a friend, or would they view him as a weak invalid that wasn't worth their time?

As these thoughts ran through his mind, he felt a familiar tiny burning sensation in his eyes as fresh tears formed. He tried to stay quiet as he let the tears fall, but his breath involuntarily hitched, and he sniffled loudly. He knew Mrs. Knight had heard him when a gentle hand appeared on his left shoulder.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked softly.

"N-no." the raven-haired boy answered through tears.

"What's bothering you?" Mrs. Knight asked as she seated herself on the back of the couch next to Carlos.

"I'm s-scared. I don't know wh-what I'm gonna do if I can't walk again. I won't be able dance or perform, and that'll p-probably be the end of Big Time Rush. I can't s-stand having to have help doing everything. I just f-feel like a bother to everybody." Carlos just poured out, "A-and what about James? I can't be the boyfriend I'm supposed to be if I'm in a wheelchair. N-nobody wants a disabled boyfriend."

Mrs. Knight listened quietly and intently to everything Carlos said, and when he was finished, she reached out to sympathetically rub her hand along his quivering shoulders.

"Everything you're feeling is perfectly normal. There isn't a doubt in my mind that you _will _be able to walk again, but just think, if you aren't, that doesn't necessarily mean that you're disabled. There are paralyzed people who live perfectly normal lives everyday. And _if _you are paralyzed, that doesn't mean that Big Time Rush is suddenly over. You can still sing, and if people in wheelchairs can compete in the Olympics, I know we'll figure out some way for you to perform on stage." she explained comfortingly, "And as far as your relationship with James goes, the fact that you're sitting down doesn't change anything. I've seen the way he interacts with you since you've been home, and I know he doesn't see you any different. He loves you."

Trying to quell his tears, Carlos took a moment to process everything Mrs. Knight had just said. The thought never even crossed his mind about the possibility of performing in a wheelchair. _That guy on Glee does it all the time_, he suddenly thought, _if he can do it, why can't I? _He also suddenly thought that being able to perform on stage in a wheelchair would look really cool. He still wanted more than anything to be able to walk again, but now he saw that if he couldn't it wasn't the end of the world. He couldn't believe that he'd felt like he was at rock bottom this whole time, and a simple little pep-talk from Mrs. Knight could make it all better.

"How in the world do you _always _know what to say to make everyone feel better?" he asked, sniffling softly as he reached up to wipe away his subsiding tears.

"I guess it's all part of being a mom." Mrs. Knight answered, very satisfied that she'd managed to shoo away the metaphorical storm clouds that had formed over Carlos' head, "Now, you wanna come help me put the dishes away?"

Carlos raised his eyebrows slightly; that was the first time since he'd been home that someone asked for _his _help with something. Normally, he hated putting away the dishes, but it was so nice to be asked to help with something and to not feel like a nuisance to anyone, he didn't mind.

"Sure." he answered with a smile.

With that, Mrs. Knight stood up from her seat on the back of the couch, and waited for Carlos to turn and wheel toward the kitchen before she followed him.

About an hour later, Carlos was in his and James' room, reading the latest edition of Helmet Magazine when the slightly-open door swung the rest of the way open, and James stepped inside, holding a blue smoothie in each hand.

"Hey, I didn't hear you come in." Carlos greeted, happy to see his boyfriend again(he was especially happy to see him after the little talk he and Mrs. Knight had had earlier).

"We've been know to make a quiet entrance every now and then." James kidded with his usual charming smile, "I brought you a smoothie since it's been so long since you had one."

He stepped around to the other side of the bed where Carlos sat in his wheelchair, and handed the frozen blueberry-flavored treat to him.

"Thanks." Carlos said as James seated himself on the edge of the bed, and began to sip at his own smoothie.

As soon as the smooth, cold treat hit his tongue, Carlos was in blueberry heaven. He just wanted to suck the smoothie through the straw until he got a brain-freeze.

"Mrs. Knight told me about the little talk you two had earlier." James said after a minute or two.

"She did?" Carlos asked, not sure what his boyfriend was getting at.

"Yeah. She said that after you two talked, you seemed to be feeling a lot better." James punctuated his sentence by taking another sip of his smoothie.

"I am feeling better. She helped me see that even if I am paralyzed, it's not the end of the world. She said we could even figure out a way for me to perform on stage in a wheelchair." Carlos explained.

"See, I told you everything was gonna be okay." James smiled, "She, um….she also told me what you said about us. How you felt like a bother to me, and how you didn't think you could be the boyfriend that you're, quote-unquote, supposed to be."

Carlos stopped sipping his smoothie, and just stared at the floor; he didn't know Mrs. Knight would tell that part of the conversation.

"Baby, nothing could be farther from the truth." James said when it was obvious that Carlos wasn't going to say anything, "You could never be a bother to me. I love you no matter what. The fact that you're _temporarily _in a wheelchair doesn't change anything."

He made sure to put special emphasis on the word 'temporarily' to reassure Carlos that he had the utmost faith that he would walk again. The raven-haired boy gave a shy smile, and shifted his gaze from the floor to his boyfriend's face.

"Thanks." he whispered.

James smiled, too, and reached out to hold Carlos' free hand(the one not holding his smoothie) in his own.

"I love you." he said reassuringly.

"I love you, too." Carlos reciprocated, taking another sip of his scrumptious smoothie.

* * *

The next day was much better for Carlos than the previous day had been. He didn't wake up feeling the dread and helplessness he'd felt the day before. He still needed help doing many basic things like getting in and out of the shower, changing his clothes, and reaching things in the upper cabinets in the kitchen, but he took it all in strides and he didn't feel ashamed to accept help.

James could see a definite improvement in his boyfriend's demeanor. He was talking and socializing more, as opposed to staying in their room or under the covers like he had the day before. There was a bit of sparkle back in his eyes, and perhaps the greatest improvement was the fact that he was smiling again. James hadn't seen Carlos' beautiful smile in a good while, and it was still the most beautiful thing in the world to him.

However, James could tell that there was still something missing. Carlos still hadn't left the apartment in the two-and-a-half days since he'd been released from the hospital, and the two of them hadn't spent any quality time together since then, either. To put it simply, they hadn't gone on a date since their ordeal. James knew that the first step towards getting things back to normal was slowly re-establishing his and Carlos' love life. Of course, the physical side of things could wait until Carlos was sure he was ready, but there was nothing stopping them from enjoying each others company on a date. Carlos just needed a little something to help him feel special again.

Late that evening just after the sun went down, James made his way down the hallway to the room he and Carlos shared, a certain small, excited skip in his step because he had a special surprise planned out for his boyfriend. When he opened the door, he found the raven-haired boy sitting in his wheelchair between the foot of the bed and the small entertainment center, and he was intently playing his Nintendo DS, his tongue sticking out adorably in concentration. Carlos didn't look up when James entered the room because he was so engrossed in his game. Only when the pretty boy cleared his throat to announce his presence did Carlos glance up. He instantly paused his game when he saw James standing there.

"Having fun there?" James asked, motioning to the purple Nintendo DS in his boyfriend's hands.

"Yep! I beat Logan's high score, and I'm working on beating Kendall's." Carlos answered, bringing a smile to James' face.

"Well, do you think that can wait…." the pretty boy asked as he stepped over and seated himself on the foot of the bed, "…..because I've got a special surprise for you?"

"Ooo, what is it?" Carlos asked excitedly, quickly flipping his DS closed, and setting it aside.

"You'll see….but you have to put these on first." James answered, as he brought his hand out from behind his back(Carlos hadn't even realized that he'd been hiding something back there).

Carlos furrowed his brow slightly in confusion; held in his boyfriend's hand was a pair of his own swim trunks.

"You know I can't swim like this." he said, referring to the fact that he was still in a wheelchair.

James simply smiled and said, "Trust me."

Carlos did trust him, so he let James help him out of his current clothes and into his swim trunks and a burgundy tank top. The pretty boy also changed into a pair of swim trunks but kept his t-shirt on for the time being. Carlos' mind was racing with excitement and wonder as to what surprise his boyfriend had in store for him as James wheeled him down the hallway and toward the front door. He felt sort of timid as they entered the hallway outside the apartment; he hadn't set foot, so to speak, outside the apartment in the three days since he'd come home from the hospital.

"If you're nervous, I checked the lobby and the pool area, and no one's there." James said, noticing the smaller boy's tensed-up state.

Carlos relaxed at this, and his excitement returned. The two of them rode the elevator down to the lobby, and James wheeled Carlos around to the first door leading to the pool area. Carlos had no idea what to expect, so when they paused just outside the doorway, he was taken aback at what he saw. The entire pool area was vacant of any people, but it was far from empty; there were lots of small lit candles placed in various locations, their soft, flickering glow creating a romantic atmosphere. Adding to that atmosphere was the fact that there were handfuls of purple rose petals scattered all over the stone floor. Purple just happened to be Carlos' favorite color. On the other side of the pool, Carlos saw that one of the tables had been covered with a blue-and-white checkered tablecloth, had a small flower arrangement in the middle, and was fixed up with two place settings opposite each other.

"What's all this?" the raven-haired boy asked once he finished taking in the unexpected and romantic scene.

"It's for you." James answered, placing a tender hand on Carlos' shoulder, "After all you've been through lately, you deserve something special."

A wide smile crept across Carlos' face, and he was almost positive that he was blushing. This was the sweetest thing James had ever done for him.

"Oh, and…" James said as he reached into the large pocket of his swim trunks, and took out a clear plastic CD case, and held it around for Carlos to see, "….I made a mix-tape of BTR's most romantic songs to listen to while we dine on a fabulous dinner of your favorite foods. Just ignore the word 'girl' in all the songs."

Carlos giggled at this, and James carefully wheeled him over to the side of the table. He then turned to quickly pop the homemade CD into the red-and-black boom box setting on the small table next to the door. He turned the boom box on, and set the volume so it sounded like soft background music. The first song to start playing was All Over Again.

While James got the music ready, Carlos surveyed the contents of the plate in front of him. There was one corndog which was crisscrossed with thin lines of ketchup, a few tater tots, a small pile of French fries, a generous dollop of mac-n-cheese, and a small pile of Sweet Heat BBQ chips. In the center of the plate was a small condiment bowl containing ranch dressing(Carlos always loved to dip is BBQ chips in ranch dressing). To the upper-right of the plate was a blue smoothie in its traditional plastic cup. His mouth watered at the sight of all his favorite goodies.

"Whataya think?" James asked as he sat down opposite his boyfriend.

"Everything looks great. You even remembered the ranch dressing for the chips." Carlos answered.

James flashed his usual gorgeous smile, and with that, the two of them began their dinner. It may have been Carlos' imagination, but everything seemed to taste extra-delicious tonight. He didn't know if it was the fact that the evening was so special and romantic, or that he didn't remember ever having allhis favorite foods at once before. While they ate, he and James talked over a variety of subjects ranging from video games to their favorite movies. Everything felt just as it had before their ordeal happened. They were on a date, they were smiling and snickering amongst each other, and they felt totally happy just being together.

James found the soft glow of the candlelight flickering across his boyfriend's face to be just beautiful. He didn't find Carlos any less attractive because he was in a wheelchair; he knew in his heart that the raven-haired boy would walk again(and even _if _he didn't, that still wouldn't change anything).

After the pair finished eating, they were both thoroughly full and quite satisfied with their dinner. Taking a final sip from his smoothie, James stood from his chair, and stepped around the table so he stood next to Carlos.

"You wanna get in the pool for a little while?" he asked.

"I don't see how we could have much fun since I can't swim like this." Carlos answered.

"We don't have to swim; we could just sit on the steps if you want to." James explained, giving Carlos a hint of puppy-dog eyes.

Carlos could tell that James really wanted to sit in the pool with him, so he decided to indulge him that; it was the least he could do after the pretty boy set up this whole romantic date for them.

"Okay." he nodded as he backed his wheelchair up from the table.

He wheeled over to the edge of the pool, and removed his tank top, draping it over the back of his chair. James did the same, then reached down to carefully lift Carlos bridal-style out of his wheelchair just as he had done several times since coming home. He carried the smaller boy the short distance over to the steps leading into the pool, and sat down on the second step. Carlos used his arms to maneuver around so his backside was on the step, and his limp legs lay across James' lap. The night air was sort of warm, so the cool water caressing their bodies felt very nice.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are by candlelight?" James asked with the suave sound in his voice that he used whenever he was trying to flatter someone.

"You probably did the last time we had dinner with candles." Carlos joked.

Both of them giggled, and there was a long silence before either of them spoke again.

"James….thanks for doing all this for me…..the candles, the awesome dinner…..it was really special. It's probably the most special thing anyone's ever done for me." Carlos said.

"There's no need to thank me. I just figured you deserved something nice after everything that's happened lately." James answered.

The two of them shared a moment of eye-contact before Carlos did something somewhat unexpected. He leaned in and kissed James….on the lips. James was a little surprised at first, but he quickly responded. When it became obvious that this wasn't just a little peck, James brought his hand up cautiously to cradle the smaller boy's cheek affectionately. The kiss was nothing deeper than a drawn-out caressing of each others lips, but what made it so significant was the fact that it was the first tender kiss they had shared since Carlos' rape.

**A/N: **Well, there it is! Again, I really hope you enjoyed it! *super duper snuggly panda huggles to all who did* **PLEASE REVIEW! :D:D:D:D**


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